How To Use Kratom For Opiate Withdrawal

In this article, I’m going to teach you how to use kratom for opiate withdrawal. When it comes to withdrawal remedies, kratom is one of the best-kept secrets there is. I went through opiate withdrawal many times over the span of a few years, and I never once heard of kratom.

It wasn’t until I cleaned up and became a Substance Abuse Counselor at an Opiate Treatment Program that I finally learned about kratom for opiate withdrawal from a patient of mine that had used it to get off methadone in the past.

I started researching it, and the things I learned blew my mind.

Here was a beautiful tree (member of the coffee family) that was not regulated by the Drug Enforcement Agency in the United States (making it legal), which had mu-opioid agonist qualities (like morphine), that could without a doubt help anyone ease their opiate withdrawal symptoms naturally.

How Kratom Works for Opiate Withdrawal

Kratom, simply put, is an opioid agonist. This is just a fancy term meaning that it mimics the effects of opioid drugs such as heroin, morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone etc.

You’ve probably heard of the medications Suboxone, Subutex, and methadone. These are also opioid agonists, and they tend to eliminate opiate withdrawal symptoms and cravings especially well.

The only problem is that many individuals are now stuck on these powerful medications, due to them being a lot harder to come off than one might think.

Mitragynine, the major alkaloid in kratom, is a partial opioid agonist producing similar effects to morphine.

An interesting minor alkaloid of kratom, 7-hyrdoxymitragynine, has been reported to be more potent than morphine. Both kratom alkaloids activate supraspinal mu- and delta- opioid receptors, which is the main reason the plant alleviates withdrawal symptoms so well.

The patient of mine that told me about kratom said it helped her come off methadone by reducing 90% of her withdrawal symptoms.

This piqued my interest, to say the least. After studying the plant on my own, I felt comfortable recommending it to my patients for coming off opiates and opiate replacement medications such as methadone and Suboxone.

My Experience with Kratom

To be quite honest, I was pretty bummed out that I never got to use kratom for opiate withdrawal. However, after two years of being fascinated with the plant, I finally gained the courage to try it from a strictly investigative perspective.

I obviously wasn’t using kratom to ease any opiate withdrawal symptoms, nor was I intending to get high or ease any physical pain.

I simply wanted to feel the effects of the plant before I wrote an article on kratom for opiate withdrawal.

I had been nervous about trying it for some time due to its potential for addiction and withdrawal symptoms. Fortunately, there is a store called Bountiful Herbs six blocks from my house that specializes in kratom.

I spoke with a very knowledgeable employee by the name of Alanna Donovan about different strains, dosages, and whether or not she thought I would get addicted to it.

After our conversation, I decided to purchase some Maeng Da kratom, which is one of the more powerful strains available.

I figured “go big or go home right?” I ended up really enjoying the buzz, which felt a lot like taking hydrocodone or oxycodone, though not exactly.

That was five months ago, and since then I’ve probably taken kratom around a dozen times.

I’ve experimented with different stains and dosages, and even different potentiators (something that increases the effects), in hopes of finding the perfect protocol for coming off opiates.

What I’ve come up with for you is an easy, step-by-step program on how to use kratom for opiate withdrawal.

I’m going to teach you what the best kratom for opiate withdrawal is, and you’ll also learn how much kratom to take for opiate withdrawal.

By following the plan I’ve created, you’ll be using a powerful, natural plant that binds to the same receptor sites in your brain that drugs like morphine and heroin bind to.

The result?

If you’re like my patient on methadone……a 90% reduction of withdrawal symptoms.

Best Kratom for Opiate Withdrawal

Classic Red Bali from TopExtracts.com is, in my opinion, the best kratom for opiate withdrawal. Also known as Red Indo kratom, this strain has powerful painkilling and sedating qualities, which makes it more desirable for opiate withdrawal than some of the stimulating types of kratom.

How Much Kratom to Take for Opiate Withdrawal

The main alkaloid in kratom, mitragynine, is an opioid agonist, which means that it sticks inside opioid receptors in your brain.

These receptors significantly influence your mood and pain levels. Since mitragynine fills these receptor sites, it can produce euphoria and pain relief in the same way that morphine can, though it’s not the same as a morphine high.

The major difference between kratom and opiates is that kratom prefers delta- opioid receptors first, while morphine and other opioid drugs bind to the mu- opioid receptors.

However, if you take a large enough dose, kratom is able to more powerfully activate mu- opioid receptors.

The difference between kratom’s affinity for either delta- or mu- receptors depending on the dosage is most likely why the effects go from stimulating to sedating. At lower dosages of about 3-7 grams, kratom has more stimulating and mood-enhancing effects. At around 8 grams and up, it actually has more sedating and painkilling effects.

After experimenting with kratom dosages and strains, I’ve found that taking 9-10 grams of powder is the perfect amount to stimulate the mu- opioid receptors.

Using 9-10 grams of Classic Red Bali provided me with euphoria and sedation that was remarkably similar to an opiate high.

Furthermore, this dosage made me “nod out” hardcore while I was relaxing on the couch watching a movie, which was my determining factor for coming to the conclusion that this was the best dosage for treating opiate withdrawal symptoms.

How to Use Kratom for Opiate Withdrawal: Your 4-Step Success Plan

The following plan can be used for getting off heroin, hydrocodone, oxycodone, Suboxone, methadone, or any other opioid. If you adhere to the steps I’ve created, you should be able to eliminate 70% to 90% of your opiate withdrawal symptoms.

Being physiologically dependent upon opiates sucks. The fear of withdrawal can keep you stuck in your addiction for years and years. I want you to have a mild withdrawal, and most importantly, I want you to STAY CLEAN FOR LIFE!

You don’t have to be a slave to the drug anymore!

You can end your addiction!

You can use these steps to have a very mild opiate withdrawal!

You can stay clean and live the life of your dreams!

All of the courage, determination, love, and faith you need are within you now!

Visualize your life after getting off opiates. Imagine yourself looking and feeling healthy. Picture yourself waking up in the morning and feeling awesome without having to take drugs.

How does that feel? How bad do you want this? I know you can do it.

You can decide right here and now that you are going to follow this withdrawal plan and take back control of your life.

“It is in the moment of decisions that your destiny is shaped.” – Tony Robbins

Step 1: Go Shopping

My strategic plan for using kratom for opiate withdrawal consists of obtaining the following items:

The eight ounces of kratom should be more than enough to get you through your opiate withdrawal. The grapefruits on the shopping list are going to be used to make fresh juice to mix with the kratom powder.

Grapefruit juice is a great “potentiator”, which means that it increases the effects of kratom. You’re also going to need an accurate scale that weighs to the gram. This is very important because using 9-10 grams per dose is essential for stimulating the mu- opioid receptors, which are the ones that will relieve your withdrawal symptoms the most.

Note:Start out with 3-5 grams for your first time. This might be all you need. Everyone is biochemically unique, so different dosages and strains will work better for different people. The white vein kratom strains are more stimulating and energy producing, and the green veins are somewhere in the middle of white and red.

Feel free to try different strains, and you can even mix them together (quite nice effects if done correctly). Also, the grapefruit juice stretches the kratom further, but it might even make it too strong for you. Start off with low doses without grapefruit juice then see what your body needs.

Opiate Withdrawal Formula contains a powerful blend of amino acids, herbs, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that can help ease your symptoms in the following ways:

Enhances Mood

Eases stomach discomfort

Increases natural energy

Calms anxiety

Restores dopamine production quickly

Reverses depression

Reverses insomnia and helps you get more restorative sleep

Step 2: Stop taking Opiates

There are are a few different ways to go about this next step. One is to come off opiates “cold-turkey”. I don’t ever recommend this method.

It results in the most severe withdrawal symptoms, and if you can avoid it I strongly encourage you to follow one of the next two strategies.

Another method is to “taper” your opiates, which means to systemically decrease the amount of narcotics you take over a period of time. Tapering is better than coming off cold-turkey because it is much less of a shock to your body.

By spending a few weeks or more slowly lowering your daily opiate intake, it allows your body to gradually adjust to the changes, which will result in a reduction of withdrawal symptoms.

The following plan I’ve outlined is based on a cold-turkey withdrawal.

Here are some important tips to remember before you plan your withdrawal:

Every individual is biochemically unique (so what works for one person may not work for another).

Depending on the severity of your opiate addiction, you may need to raise or lower your kratom intake (people with an extremely severe addiction might need a dosage of 16-25 grams).

Always use the least amount of kratom possible to alleviate your withdrawal symptoms.

Discontinue kratom after 7-14 days so you don’t become physiologically dependent upon it (which could lead to more withdrawal symptoms).

Kratom can become addictive, so use with caution.

Listen to your body and adjust dose as necessary.

Always take kratom on an empty stomach as this helps with absorption.

Step 3: Use an Opiate Withdrawal Supplement and Kratom for Opiate Withdrawal

It’s VERY IMPORTANT that you start taking your Opiate Withdrawal Supplement a minimum of seven days before you come off opiates. Doing so will enable the nutrients to start priming your body for the impending withdrawal. If you wait until the last minute it will still help a lot, but the benefits from starting early are too good to pass up.

Days 1-4: Take Opiate Withdrawal Supplement in the morning. Cut a grapefruit and squeeze the juice into a cup.

Weigh out 9-10 grams of kratom powder and add it to the grapefruit juice. Stir it up good with a spoon, or put it in a blender on low for a few seconds (I prefer this method because it mixes it better). Drink up! Wait an hour before eating breakfast.

You can take 3 more servings of kratom and grapefruit juice throughout the day to minimize withdrawal symptoms, just make sure you always take it on an empty stomach (at least 3 hours after meals).

Before bed on an empty stomach, take the Opiate Withdrawal Supplement.

Days 5-7: Continue to take the Opiate Withdrawal Supplement, and reduce your kratom intake to only two 9-10 gram servings per day instead of four.

The hardest part of the withdrawal is usually over by the beginning of Day 5, and this will also help prevent you from going through mild kratom withdrawal.

Days 8-30: Discontinue kratom. Continue to take the Opiate Withdrawal Supplement. It will help restore your brain chemistry to its pre-opiate addiction state, and it will also promote a positive mood, increased energy, calming of the nerves, enhanced digestion and appetite, and better sleep.

Step 4: Stay Clean!

After using kratom for opiate withdrawal successfully, the final step is to stay clean and build a strong recovery.

I believe the most important part of recovery is correcting the biochemical imbalances that opiate abuse either caused or exacerbated.

Without first addressing this physical aspect of addiction, counseling and other types of psychological treatment can only lead to moderate success at best.

I encourage you to follow these guidelines to heal your body and mind:

Eat at least 20-30 grams of protein 2-3 times per day to boost endorphins and other mood-enhancing chemicals in the brain (organic, free-range and wild-caught are best).

Matt Finch

Matt helps men and women that are dependent on opiates learn how to get off these drugs without getting sick. He is a former opiate addict and a former Substance Abuse Counselor at an Opiate Treatment Program (OTP). Matt has since become an Opiate Recovery Coach, Author, and Speaker.

COMMENT DISCLAIMER

The information we provide while responding to comments is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. The responses to comments on OpiateAddictionSupport.com are designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional care if you believe you may have a condition.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Ok, day 8. Woke up w/ withdrawal for the first time since I jumped onto Kratom from Subs eight days ago. I did everything to a T. But I’m definitely dependent on the Kratom. 10mg twice a day. Got a quick Kratom taper schedule you could suggest? Please?

This happens to some people, and for these cases, all you have to do is stay on kratom a little longer and taper off. Maybe continue taking enough to feel good for another week, then do a 3-4 week taper, then use withdrawal remedies once you transition off. I’ve written a free ebook on this method. I’ll post a link to it for you to check out, as it will show you exactly what to do for your current situation. Here it is:

I’m about to make the jump from Subs to your suggested Kratom method. Everything is ready to go, but although I have no known allergies to anything, I’m currently taking a medication for Pericarditis that says “No grapefruit or grapefruit juice while taking this medication. Can I use another kind of fruit, or mix the Kratom w/ anything else. Thank you (understatement of the year) Matt for everything.

Congrats to you for going for it!! And yes, you can use lemon juice, orange juice, turmeric, black seed oil, or flaxseed oil. Additionally, you can just skip a potentiator as well. But if you can drink orange juice, that one is really good.

It’s day 4. I can honestly say that I haven’t felt any withdrawal symptoms. I’m following the Kratom method except I switched the grapefruit juice w/ Arnold Palmer’s. Six weeks ago I was on 12mg of Suboxone, and this is the bloody last thing I thought I’d be talking about at that point in life.

You had a special offer discount on your coarse making it possible for me to afford it. “Thank God I took your course” just doesn’t say it! I know, it’s day 4. I too balked at messages from others in their first week of withdrawal. I am looking forward to seeing this through, I want it, whatever comes next, I will embrace! The one symptom I’ve endured, is from the fact that I want to blow chunks whenever I smell Kratom, or Elimidrol. I feel nauseous a lot and if I didn’t vape a small amount of Indica, there’s no friggin way I’d be able to keep drinking either, at all. I must add, I never use canibas, I did as a kid but it just makes me hide under tables usually now. I know for a fact it helps with nausea, so I started vaping a small amount a week in advance to get the paranoia under control.

So the reason people comment on here a few days in withdrawal, is 1, we are all grateful Matt, and pretty much just want to thank you for making what I know is a living hell, a proud encouraged hopeful state of mind. And 2, I challenge you who balk at this comment. I have experience in this insanity. This ain’t my first rodeo. I quit 240mg oxy a day when I was young and bulletproof. I quit Methadone 8 years later at home as well.

This time im ending about a 4 year run of everything followed by 2 1/2 years of Suboxone. I tapered from 12mg to 1.5mg in six weeks, and made the jump a week before schedule, because this coarse has me exited to get on with life!!! Whoever you are, if I can do this, you can too!!!

I respect PAWS, and am quite familiar w/ it’s effects. I am scared, I won’t lie, but if following the recommendations has got me here, symptom free, then I have to believe that the recommended supplements, diet and exercise I’m practicing to help heal my brain are going to get me through PAWS as well.

I will end my ramble with this. This ain’t some “I found the Lord” crap. I’m just Joe Bloe saying get on with your life. Matt’s got a plethora of methods to get off Opiates/Opioids almost painless, if not painlessly. Pick one, and get on with the rest of your life. I dare you. Thank you Matt! I look forward to posting with more time off Subs, thank you for getting me this far Brother.

This is wonderful!!! And I just responded to your comment that came after this as well. I promise that if you check out that free ebook, it will teach you step-by-step exactly how to get the result that you want. 🙂 You are doing amazing… And I thank you so much for the kind words and feedback!

Thanks for explaining that kratom works for opiate withdrawals because it mimics their effects. My cousin is struggling with an addiction to opiates. I’ll give her a call and suggest she try using kratom to help.

Hello Matt and Everyone, My fiancé and I really enjoyed this article and we are going to order kratom and start this journey together. However, we are stuck and confused on when we should start. We are both on 80 milligrams of Methadone. Should we taper down to a certain milligram then start the kratom? We do not want to have to take the kratom for months at a time and possibly become addicted to that as well. Please, any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Hey Samantha & Lloyd, I tapered down to 4 mgs, then went back up to 5mgs of methadone from 140mg in 1 year. Did you ever get the answer you were seeking? Just checking in, as I am starting my Kratom from methadone switch tomorrow morning. ♡Jordan

If I forget to check back, please let me know how it goes…..I’m starting my third week of methadone and tomorrow jumping up to 40mgs… two days after I started they put me at 40 and I started napoing so I freaked out and said, “Get me off this stuff!!!!” before I had even detoxed fully off H. I’ve been puking sick as a dog because they bumped me down to 35, then 30 and I’ve been sick since starting…. due to various conditions, my thyroid doesn’t respond well to methadone, suboxone or Fentanyl so I’m eager to get off…. I’ve been using H though since I stay sick…I’m down to only once a week

Hi I’m new to Kratom, I’ve been in recovery for about 4yrs. I’m doing MAT medical assist. I started with the pills, for a few years, then the pills went to op’s, so heroin was the next step really Fetenyal. So I wanted to stop the Methadone, for the last month I’ve been reading about Kratom, I was so afraid of the Methadone withdrawal, So I started two weeks before I stopped the Methadone on the Kratom. It worked. It’s been 8 days with no Methadone. I feel great I bought a few different types of Kratom. A fast leaf for energy, and a slow type to sleep. I mix it up. I don’t make drinks, People say if you mix it up with like OJ, or an acid. The question is am I going to have a withdrawal the same as if I were on Methadone. Or do I need to wean off the Kratom also? Am I trading one source to another? Confused. What would anyone do I dont want to go back to the liquid hand cuffs

Thank you so much for this. I was on suboxone for over 10 years and jumped from 2mg to kratom. I had finally had enough. If it weren’t for this piece you you wrote, I would’ve been lost in the woods. I have followed it to the T and will continue to do so! I’m now 12 days with no suboxone! Is it a walk in the park? Hell no! However, it’s made it to where I can go to work now, and I feel my life coming back more each day I continue the fight. Thank you Matt.

So just a quick update..Day 10 came down with a horrible cold no Kratom just cold medicine. I’m going to bed early with the help of some Nyquil. I’m still hanging in Kratom has been a huge help but I think I’m going to stop using it and use the supplements and exercise to get me well. Don’t get me wrong the Kratom was great I would have never made it this far without it but I don’t want to become dependent on it either. I’ll post another update when I’m feeling better. If your struggling to get off opiates Kratom can really help you give it a try I was skeptical too but wow this stuff is really great.

Day 18… yes I’m counting days but I’m trying not to focus so much on them. I feel pretty good physically it’s the low energy/motivation that is getting to me. I’ve just started exercising and have been trying to keep busy. I have been listening to music and comedy laughter is great for helping my mood. I guess I just wanted to let people know I’m still hanging in there. To the people trying to get off Suboxone Kratom is a great tool I just wouldn’t stay on it too long I used it for ten days and then tapered my dose for 3 days and I had no withdrawal from it. Kratom was a live-saver I had to work during withdrawal and I never would have been able to do that without Kratom. I will post another update soon. Take Care…

My name is Amanda. I have been on Suboxone for 4 years now for the past two years I have been at 4 mg a day would it be safe to just quit and jump to kratom or should I wean myself down? I am so scared of getting off but I’ve been wanting to get off Suboxone for so long now I hate it. I’ve also heard of people lately overdosing on Kratom so that also scares me.I am a very anxious person but finding this website and seeing all the people you have helped gave me so much hope

Honestly Amanda I’d say yes I don’t know much about suboxone but I’ve been on anywhere from 100 to 160 milligrams of oxy almost every single day for four years if it wasn’t oxy it was norcos to ease the withdraw and ten days ago I just gave up for my children jumped right into a medicine man white mengda 4 grams every three to four hours and besides some stomach discomfort probably from being hungry and feeling some pain from work I’ve been fine. Ya i haven’t done so much it’s got me the euphoria and energized but definitely has diminished withdrawals by allot.

Amanda I was on Suboxone and jumped to white Maeng Da Kratom once I was down to .5 mg of Suboxone a day. I would follow Matts tapering schedule and then jump. It was really effective. John I have not had withdrawals with the white Maeng Da either. Glad it’s working so well for you too!

I was on Suboxone for 5 years was splitting a script that a friend got I paid hald her costs for the visit and the script. This worked well for 6 years. I decided to strt tapering my dose I was at 4mg and she got busted with a dirty urine. I had no choice to detox from 4mg of suboxone. I read this article about 4 months ago and bought some Kratom. It was a life saver I had to work during withdrawl and I have no idea how I would have done it without Kratom. I’m on day 7 and have cut my dose of Kratom from 5 grams 3 times a day to 3 grams twice a day. I’m going to taper over the next week and be done.

I have started to attend meetings and exercise on a regular basis. I have purchased some supplements. Great article Matt you have helped people more than you. I will check back later and let you know how I’m doing.

Hi Misty. Congrats, I’m so proud of you!!! I loved reading your post just now!!! Made my day, and I’m so happy that you’re doing so well. Puts a smile on my face and hits me in the heart because there is no better feeling knowing that something I’ve created has helped someone improve their life. Thus, I really appreciate you taking the time to write in. And I look forward to your next update!!!

Hi, im delilah ive been on opiates since the age of 13…i know. I weined myself off oxys to hydros then down dosed on hydros till last night. I hit 10mgs and it killed me. I had a 5mg in the am and waiting till i was vomiting and literally killing myself to redose. Ended up in the er by 8 last night. They did nothing. So my bf did his research and found kratom is a miracle plant for ppl like me. He found a place and brought it back to me and shoved 2gs in me while i was whimpering in the shower. I took an adivan and i slept!!! I woke up today not anxious one bit till about an hr ago. I slowly kept going up gs till i reached my point. 10gs im happy. No withdrawal symptoms besides my legs are a bit on comfortable…im crying with joy. From 13yrs old ive been fightiing this. I thought id die an addict. This is day 1 with no other meds, just kratom. Im so happy. Thank you!!!

Hey Delilah I’m glad to hear kratom is working well for you. I’ve been a daily opiate user for the last 15 years until 36 days ago when I made the jump off so I’ve been where you are. Keep it up and stay strong through this process.

Hi Matt, I have read through lots of the comments and I just purchased a kilo of Red Bali but I want to see if you think I should continue tapering off my methadone or what would be the best avenue. I was addicted to OxyContin ten years ago. Went to a methadone clinic prescribed 80mg a day and then tapered off 1 mg per week, got down to 1 mg and lost it couldn’t handle it after I left. Now I’m prescribed 7 10mg tablets of methadone a day. I have lots of issues with the 60-65 mg a day range I feel awful any time but once I get through it I can keep coming down with no issues. It seems to be harder on the pills since I can’t do a milligram at a time but I want to be done with this medication once and for all. Is it possible to just stop the methadone now at 70 mg a day? I’ve also heard people say they take away a pill and will do a dose of kratom, but you seem to be against doing them at the same time, so should I jump to kratom now or would you recommend coming down a little further? I have enough medication for the next 6 weeks, my dr quit, and I would just rather be done than try and find a new one. Also, should I just follow the plan you have outlined above? Thanks so much this is far the best website I have found to answer questions!

I’d like to share this with you. My wife came off 75mg methadone using Kratom and at 6 weeks from a total stop she was using Kratom at half the dose every two days and a month later methadone free. I had Hep-c for 35 years and my liver won’t handle Kratom. I get very ill but this is about you. If you can handle Kratom then go for it. I’m jealous because I’ve been on methadone frequently since 1972. This time it’s an 18 year run so if your body can take it- go for it! You’ll be glad you did. I wish you the best👍🏻

Thanks for sharing Irv. If you don’t mind my asking what does it do if you take kratom? I ask since you mentioned because of hep c you could not take it and was just curious. Your answer could also help others reading this in case they to have liver trouble as well. Thank you.

Sorry 4 replying here I really have a question but I couldn’t find where to go to ask the question. I’ve been on 4 mg Suboxone for approximately two years. I can’t quit Suboxone completely right now because it help supplement my income if you know what I mean. As soon as I find a job I can tell my doctor I want to get off of it in the meantime I was wondering if I didn’t take suboxone for about 2 or 3 days would I feel Kratom and then I have to get a UA tested my doctor is it going to hurt me to take an 8mg Suboxone the day of the test will I get sick.

As a suboxone user of 10 years, do you think it’s better to taper as low as I can go before switching to kratom or to just make the jump? I’m down to 1 mg daily, but I never took super high doses for any length of time. I can see the benefits of both. Just feeling like the longer I’m on this poison, the longer the acute and post acute withdrawals will last, but at the same time I don’t want to totally shock my poor brain and body. Also, I went a little crazy and ordered both the elimidrol and the calm support, but I probably shouldn’t take them both, right? Also have some dlpa and kyani’s triangle coming. My biggest concern is the drawn out PAWS. They make me feel like I’m coming off a really bad acid trip and it’s why I went back to the suboxone after being off for 8 months. I thought I had gone crazy. Also thinking about hiring you… I’m blessed to be financially stable and I’m beyond ready for this chapter of my life to be over once and for all! Thanks in advance! There’s so much great information here. God bless!

If it were me I would make the switch over right now at 1 mg. Then take kratom daily on a dosage that stabilizes you for about 3 weeks, then taper off the kratom over a couple of weeks while using Elimidrol and the Triangle. Then save the Calm Support and DLPA to use together for after the Elimidrol runs out (it has DLPA in it). That should really assist with the PAWS.

Hi, I apologize for replying on a previous comment but I could not find a comment box other than this. I have had an opioid addiction for about 10 yrs and then tried loperamide in larger doses for withdrawal. It definitely helped but now of course I have a newer, strange addiction to the loperamide. As in 160 2mg pills total each day! The withdrawal is horrible and similar to opioid wds. Do you think a well controlled similar kratom program could help?

Obviously I’m not Mat, but I think you should definitely give kratom a try. The dose of loperaminde you’re taking is so dangerous. It is cardiotoxic in that dose range. People die from taking that much. You will probably need a pretty high dose of kratom at first, but the kratom is so much safer! I wish you well!

Shawn I don’t know much about loperamadine I’m guessing anything that high is not good. But I stated early for the past four years I’ve been anywhere from 100 to 160 grams daily mostly 160 depending on money situation and I jumped off one day after buying some white vein mengda said screw it if worse comes to worse I’ll just go get more but ten days later and besides some stomach discomfort mainly from not having much appetite and actually being able to feel pain from work for the first time in four years it’s been a miracle I’m telling you… put that on my children that I’ve made this decision for my next step is worrying about the psychological withdrawal and motivation which hopefully after a week or two the kratom will enhance more once I’m not on such a fog for being so high all the time. I was doing five or tens as soon as I got up four hours later the same four hours later the same four hours later the same then bed … four years and it also has me very much into believing I can do this and I don’t need painkillers for my real pain and has me wanting to exercise again and just more happy then pill happy which there is a difference.

I don’t know how I got here. Anyway I took my last norco last night. After 18 years. And I also take Xanax. I’m down to .5mg. My plan is to quit norco now. Just got my Kratum kit. And then I will do a taper on the Xanax. I have to work. No time off. That’s is why I thing the norco first. And then the Xanax taper. Does this sound reasonable?

Gina, I’m not Matt but I’ve Been an opiate/anything addict for 51 years. Your plan sounds great too me and I would suggest getting your doctor to help you with Xanax. That’s a different animal but anything is doable. A long, long time ago I kicked reds.(Seconal) it took a Hospital but I did it and never looked back. My point is I’m not sure with Xanax but many downers of the biodiazapene family have many different effects. Good luck!

Hey Gina, yes that sounds like a good plan imo. The Xanax should help with sleep while going through norco withdrawal which is how I would use it if it were me. Stay strong and hang in there. Take care.

Hi Matt sorry this is the only way i see to leave a comment. I have been addicted to opiates for about 15 years now and im ready tk be off of them. Ive been ready for several years but havent been able to get the help i need. Anyway i just heard about Kratom and decided this is what im going to do to get my life back. I started today with a mix of bali and maeng da i took 7 capsules total aboit 15 mins ago. I take anywhere from 500-1000 mg a day of hydrocodone depending on my pain level. Do you think 7 capsules is ok? How many should i take??

Hey Lori I hope you are doing well. I am in a similar situation at 1mg of suboxone about to make the jump to kratom for a short period then jumping off of kratom as well. I have only been on suboxone for just over 4 years (this time) but am just as nervous about PAWS as you are but looking for the positive side of this as staying positive can actually benefit during this transition. I hope you will continue to post here during your switch as it will definitely help others here going through this as well. Hope you have a good day today.

It’s been 2 weeks and 3 days. Everything is going well. The worst of the acute stuff is over and it was very manageable with kratom use. I haven’t even missed a single day of work. The biggest hurdle at the moment is RLS and insomnia. I must say, though, that I have also quit remeron, cymbalta, and ciggarettes so I’m sure that’s not helping. And I know I still have to get through PAWS, but I will make it. You can do this, Jeff! I’m a big baby, so if I can do it, so can you!

PS: Matt, please don’t post my last name. Thank you for providing such a wonderful resource!

Thank you for posting Lori. I will take my last suboxone April 19 and switch to kratom. I am both excited and nervous about getting off suboxone after 4 years of us. Would you share your dosage of kratom and what strain/s that worked for you during the first week? Thank you again and I hope you continue doing well.

Jeff, I bought a ridiculous amount of a ton of varieties. I’ve only used a few and they have been mostly red ones. I’ve used red borneo, malay, dark elephant, chocolate to name a few. I haven’t been able to tell much of a difference between any of them, but I have heard that won’t happen until the suboxone truly leaves your system. I’m not taking much because I’m terrified of dependency.. on the worst days I was taking 2 tsp every 8 hours, which was enough to get me through, but it was still hard. At that dose, I was getting nauseous, so I started taking smaller amounts more frequently, like 1 tsp (about 3.2 grams by my scale) every 4 to 6 hours. I think your dose will be dependent on where you purchase from also. I have met some who have taken a LOT more than that. There are some closed, but mostly secret facebook groups full of people who have used kratom to get off subs. Not sure if there’s a way to add you, but let me know if you’re interested, maybe we can figure something out.

Thanks for sharing Lori. I believe I have enough but can get more if needed. I have a few different strains as well but the majority is red Bali and white Borneo from top extracts as Matt suggests here. I have been down this road many times unfortunately but it’s been 4 years since I’ve had any withdrawals so not looking forward to that. I have never came off suboxone after such a long period so this part is new and I’ve never really taken kratom (aside from teying it while still on auboxone). My plan is to take kratom for two months total to hopefully get past the PAWS of suboxone and taper during the last few weeks before making that jump. I know this could cause withdrawals from the kratom but am more concerned about the PAWS from suboxone that can last several months than I am the kratom withdrawals. I read this theory in getting off suboxone online written by a sub doc that’s says this has the best success rate for his patients. There are many ways that can work so I’m certainly not trying to change anyone else’s plans just sharing my personal plan. I do have some gabapentin to use if needed but would prefer not to take if it’s not needed. My biggest concern is I may have a job interview during the first or second week after making the jump and am concerned kratom will not be strong enough to get through that and be able to impress. I can always just say I’m sick I guess. I may be able to stall it another week or so but that could also have negative consequences I’m sure. Sorry to keep running on. I hope you continue doing well and are able to get to through this with ease. 🙂

I am so glad i found this website. I take oxys for different reasons. I take it for pain but I have nerve damage in my intestines and no sphincter control of the bowels. I take 4 oxys a day to stop horrible diarrhea and it works. If i have more pain from all the spine surgeries i have had, i take more pain reliever. It is easy for me to build a tolerance so i taper myself regularly because thats just how i feel. I was intrigued by the articles on kratom and so i bought some and tried it. It does the same job as the oxys as far as stopping the diarrhea. the end result is i can use so much less oxy if i am not feeling intense pain. What a wonderful product and thank you for putting it on your website with directions.

Hi everyone, Just wanted to give a follow up to my original post from January 28, 2018. I am currently totally off of methadone (15 days now) and on Matt’s subutex taper plan on the every 3rd day dosing at .25 mg as I only ever took approximately .5mg. I am doing wonderful, I have to say, this has been the easiest most pleasant detoxes I have ever experienced. The kratom worked Exactly as described. I take 1 tablespoon 2- 3 times a day (Only on non-subutex dosing days.) I know it works because at first when I started the sub taper, I would wake up in the morning, pupils enlarged, hurting, you guys know the deal. Kratom works in about 10 minutes for me, I give it a 10 for pain relief and another 10 for sense of well being and pep. I am at the point now where I am waking up in minimal pain and bare withdrawal symptoms. In 2 days I dose my subutex down to .25mg, Honestly though, I think I am just going to jump off at this point. I am actually feeling WORSE on the days I take the subutex and better on the kratom. I ordered 8 oz as Matt suggested in kratom for withdrawal article. I will start to taper from the kratom when I feel ready. Just wanted to say Thank You again to Matt (YOUR AWESOME!) and to Top Extracts for a Great Product and fast shipping!! I am on my road back to recovery and health, thanks to this article and this wonderful plant!!!

edit to above:. I am currently totally off of methadone (15 days now) and on Matt’s subutex taper plan on the every 3rd day dosing at .5 mg as I only ever took approximately .5mg. (1st paragraph not .25mg but .5) my bad. sorry.

Thanks for everything Matt. I jumped off of the subutex on the 9th. I’m done with it, it was making me feel just plain bad. I am still on the 3 tablespoons (2 sometimes) a day of the kratom. I am about out of the original 8 oz I bought of the red horn. I am so happy with these results, have ordered 4 oz of the classic red and 4 oz of super green, I will try the mixture and then taper off of that. I have had at least 5-8 hours of sleep EVERY night since I started detoxing, this has been the easiest detox I have ever had and God willing, the LAST. This article meant everything to me. Again Thank You.

Is it possible that subutex makes you feel bad because buprenorphine “kicks off” other opiates and/or agonists? I have been maintaining on 0.5 to 1mg Suboxone for a long time. Going to try to substitute kratom alternate days

hey Matt my situation is a little different than any of that which I have read I am addicted to heroin at my height a gram or more per day I have with the use of methadone gotten myself down to about 2 bags per day without withdrawal. I am beginning to withdraw from both heroin and methadone now I bought kratom a while back in capsules . 5gs per capsule. Do you think it will help someone with addiction as severe as mine?

No precipitated withdrawal from using kratom after opiates. The only 2 drugs that cause precipitated opioid withdrawal are buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine has a high binding affinity but low intrinsic value at the mu opioid receptors. So if a person takes a buprenorphine formulation while they still have opioids in their system, the buprenorphine will displace the current opioid out of the receptor sites and not activate the receptor to the same strength, thus causing a buprenorphine-precipitated withdrawal syndrome.

Naloxone can also cause precipitated withdrawal, but only if it’s used intravenously. Taken sublingually it has virtually no effect at all. It’s a common misconception that it’s the naloxone in Suboxone that causes precipitated withdrawal. But it’s a scientific fact that it’s not the naloxone, but the buprenorphine in Suboxone that causes the precipitated withdrawal.

Thus, the only time a person would ever have to worry about causing an accidental precipitated withdrawal is when using a buprenorphine formulation such as Suboxone, Subutex, Zubsolv, or any one of the newer ones out.

This article is a little old but hopefully you still get this! I’m planning on using Kratom to come off subsolv (another brand of suboxone) and I just had a question. It’s been hard to find exactly how many capsules I should take, as I bought my Kratom in capsule form. The bottle says serving size is 5 capsules which equals 2500mg. Understanding that 1000 mg makes 1 gram, I’m still kind of unsure how many capsules I should take. I bought the Premium Bali Kratom as I read that was the best strain to use. Any further advice or help would be appreciated! I’m so looking forward to getting off this crap, Suboxone is not the “miracle cure” everyone seems to think it is and I want to be off of it after 5 years.

I would start off with 6 capsules on an empty stomach, then wait an hour. If it’s not enough, you can use more. My guess is it will take anywhere from 10-18 capsules 3x a day to help you feel better. But you’ll need to start off with the low dose then work your way up to your own individual “sweet spot.” Everyone is different, so it will just take a bit of experimenting and then you’ll have it down. Good for you for taking this HUGE step towards a life free of opioid dependence!

Hello! I like many others have become chemically dependent on an opioid like drug. I have fibromyalgia and have been taking Tramadol 100mg twice a day for about a year. I ran out early a month ago and the withdrawal was absolutely awful! I am on my way to running out again and I have a family to take care of and a life to live! I am very sensitive to any kind of withdrawal from medication, including Zoloft and Paxil ect. My question is, I take Zoloft and gabapentin, could I take Kratom along with these? The symptoms that are the worse for me are nausea, vomiting diarrhea and hot/cold sweats. I can handle everything else! What stain is best for these withdrawal symptoms? I’m so done being on these and being so dependent on them! Any help Would be so appreciative! Thank you so much!

Kratom and gabapentin can lead to a synergistic effect, but so can gabapentin and tramadol or any other opioid drug, natural or synthetic. And I’ve known many people to take kratom with an SSRI and have no issues with it. I know with CELEXA and REMERON these and kratom can have a slight potentiation effect as well. I’ve also seen a LOT of people take kratom for fibromyalgia with great benefits. Any strain of kratom works for opioid withdrawal symptoms. The red vein kratoms are the most sedating and painkilling. And the white strains are the most mood-enhancing and mentally stimulating. Green is in-between the two. You can even mix strains together which many people do. I did this as well and liked to mix red and white.

Can I use maaeeng da(I know I can’t spell!) Instead of bali? That’s the main one I have around me and I want the energy more than sedation at this point so I can hopefully miss little to no work. Thanks in advance!

You should either take hydrocodone or kratom, but not both together. Most people are easily able to switch from hydrocodone to kratom, then taper off the kratom using supplements, nutrition, and exercise.

Matt, I’ve been taking 50 mg of Oxycodone for 5 months straight. Can i get on your recomended Kratom detox for Opiates and be done in 8 days with both Kratom and the pills? Is this possible with minimal withdrawal?

Hi! I have been using methadone for one and a half year and the highest doses were 30-60 mg per day. I did withdrawal before and usually I feel ok after 3 weeks but then I start using again and I really don’t know why. My current situation is that I am of methadone again and this is day 10 free. My symtoms now are extreme fatique and depression, but somedays feels a little bit better than others. My last dose was approximately 20-30 mg per day.

I am afraid of falling back into using again and have ordered kratom and lyrica to help me. My plan is to use one sort in maybe three days and then take one day without and then use the other substance in three days untill 21 Days have gone buy and then quit and only take one or the other if I feel afraid I will go back to the methadone otherwise. Does that sound like a good plan or should I skip lyrica all together. The problem is that I am so afraid to prolong or create new withdrawals if I use one of this drugs to many days in a row. Regards Peter

Peter, that sounds like an awesome plan! Love it! Also, I want you to read my article on natural supplements and other tips for feeling better after you get off methadone. Along with your current strategy, if you add some of these into the mix you should feel better fast and NEVER go back on methadone.

Trisha, once suboxone (Bupe) is in your system (you’ve been taking it for a period of time) you can no longer get precipitated withdrawal. It’s when you have an opioid in you system and no suboxone in you then take suboxone, that will cause precipitated withdrawals. I have been through it coming off methadone and it is no fun but have never experienced it once on suboxone even if taking opioids with it. I am certainly not encouraging anyone to do this combo (suboxone will block most opioids effects anyway) but passing along info. Hope this helps.

Well, I ran across this article a couple of days ago. I have come off of high doses of methadone, oxycontin etc.. on several occasions. I must say the methadone withdrawal I went through in 2012 was brutal, just plain evil. I went into protracted abstinence and wasn’t able to even function for almost 2 weeks, after that I shook and had terrible anxiety for almost 6 months. Any sane person would never put themselves through what I went through a second time…hence I am an addict and as hard as I tried, in 2017 I started taking some of my brothers methadone and subutex again after I developed VERY painful heel bone spurs. What started out innocently eventually became another dependence. However, this time I never exceeded 5 mg of methadone a day and just a small sliver of subutex. Moving on….I am currently a vaper, quit smoking in 2014, My friend at the vape shop told me about Kratom and he gave me a bottle of kratom focus 6gm in a 10 ml bottle to just try as well as a few tablespoons of the powder (which strain is unknown) as he only even had it because a friend had given it to him for some pain issues he was experiencing. The friend who gave it to him however DID use it to get off of methadone and swore by it’s effectiveness. Well now to get to the point….My brother got locked up 4 days ago which now means I will now have to withdraw. I am down to my last few slivers of subutex, off the methadone completely for 3 days now. Yesterday I ordered 8 ounces of the red horn kratom, they had a live chat option on the great website in this article and the rep I spoke to said I should have my kratom in 2-3 days. So I will have at plenty of kratom when I run out of subs. I also am prescribed 6 mg klonopin daily, which I hardly ever take as I only take 1 2mg tab with 30 mg restoril at bedtime. I will now likely use the full amount I am prescribed when I start the detox. I also will be taking gabapentin. I am prescribed 1800 mg/day which I have only ever taken 600mg a day, I will begin to take full dosage of this now also. I am a bit of a hoarder, even with medication, I have always only taken my prescribed dosages or less, however dependence is still the same. So I will write another article on my detox experience when I have started the kratom and will share my experience with you all. I will say now lastly that I am NOT afraid this time, I have heard that the fear of the whole withdrawal thing can actually potentiate the severity of the detox. Well we shall see, I want to say Thank You to Matt for writing this article. It is broken down perfectly, easy to read and understand. Matt, Thank You for caring and will keep you updated on my recovery process. T

I have been on methadone for a year and I’m ready to be done ASAP. I have been up as high as 50mg but now down to 15mg/day. My plan was to wean down to 1mg/day and then substitute with Kratom. My question is, do you think I could jump off earlier than that, like at 10mg and only take a few days off work? Also, how long do you think I would need Kratom after to get everything out of my system and only be withdrawing from Kratom?

I’m sure you could jump off 15 mg of methadone per day with kratom alone and that should be enough. Then, you could take enough kratom to make you feel balanced for the next 4 weeks so you can get off the methadone and just be dependent on the less-powerful natural plant medicine. Then you could use supplements to help you taper off kratom which is typically much easier on your body than tapering off methadone.

Thank you for your reply! It’s very encouraging that you think jumping off at 15mg is doable – I am scared but it’s worth a try. I have continued to taper down and actually had a few days where I only took 10mg last week, and used Kratom to offset the symptoms. I have about a week’s supply left, so I’ll give it a shot and post back with my results. Thank you again for taking the time to reply!

Dear Matt, I had been taking Morphine for 1 year, switched to 24 mg of Suboxone, which I took for 4 years. Calm Support and ESPECIALLY Kratom are helping me a lot after I quit Suboxone completely. I’ve been taking 30 grams of Kratom for 2 months, but whenever I fail to do so, I immediately start having the evil, most unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. I am afraid to get dependant on Kratom, but I can’t go on without it. Suboxone is a devil’s medicine. How severe is Kratom withdrawal when I stop taking it? Thank you so much in advance!

Glad those are working so well for you Cristiano! The ticket if that is happening is to taper slowly off kratom. Or, you can use opioid withdrawal remedies such as powerful medications to help with the symptoms if you were to stop taking kratom cold-turkey. Kratom withdrawal is nothing as bad as Suboxone withdrawal. For most people it’s just fatigue and irritation, for others they have virtually no symptoms, and others seem to have worse symptoms, but that is usually people that are taking high doses of strong kratom extract.

Hi my name is Daniel. I’ve been on pain management for a few years , then it turned into dependency! From reading the comments, maybe what I’m taking isn’t as bad. But when I don’t have them, I get so many withdrawal symptoms. Night sweats, headaches, irritable, diarrhea, stomach cramps and the list goes on. I currently take 3 Tylenol #4 w/codiene a day. I think that’s 60mg each (180/day) I don’t feel like myself anymore. I lost my sense of humor. I can’t stand it. I want to be free Of this evil ugly addiction. if I start taking Kratom now, can I drop to only 1 Tylenol or even none within a week? I wanna be myself again .my family don’t know I’m on them, and I would love to get off without them realizing. Like, if I start now with Kratom, when can I stop takeing the Tylenol completely? Any quick advice? Will Kratom stop all those symptoms I mentioned above?

Thank you for providing an online outlet for those of us suffering from addiction. I was able to purchase the powder and not the extract can you please tell me if the dosage should be higher? Will it still work? Also I don’t have the calm support. I have been taking multi vitamins, extra vitamin b6, b12 and vitamin C. Any feedback is appreciated

How to withdraw from approximately 35 mgs of dilaudid iv per day? I am a cancer patient and my doctor want to take me off opiates for six weeks. However, she isn’t providing a taper. Can I use and how much Kratom should I use to help?

W.Michael, Years ago I had a dialudid addiction. It went badly and I ended up using heroin. Kratom should help you but what’s shocking is what your doctor is doing. I’d turn this doc. Into the AMA. Best of luck!

Hi Matt, My name is John. I left a fairly lengthy comment that started with how my dependence began and ended with the two questions I have a few hours back. After posting it I noticed it said it was being moderated and then after checking it just now it seems to have been taken down. I’m puzzled cuz I used no profanity or anything else offensive. Maybe the moderators thought it was too long. Anyways here is the short version. I want nothing more than to be free of my heroin dependence. It started as a pain management program from my doctor who retired and I couldn’t find another doctor too continue my program so low and behold I wound up on heroin. I liked it too much and started abusing it. Using up to 4 grams of the best I could find. I realized this wasn’t sustainable as soon as I ran out of usable veins and had to switch to intramuscular use which took away the addiction issues because there wasn’t a rush anymore which is what I was craving during my period of heavy use. After switching to maintenance user my consumption automatically stabilized at 1.5 grams per day. I’ve been deeply depressed for a couple years because I didn’t see a way out. Then I discovered your article three days ago I cut back by 20 percent from 1.5 to 1.2. I’d planned on staying there for a week before taking my next taper. I want to quit more than anything so I tried to taper to 1 gram today with no withdrawal symptoms worth mentioning. So here are my two questions… First is how low do you recommend I stabilize my daily dosage to before I switch to kratom? Secondly, is it ok if during my switch to kratom my symptoms get too intense, is it safe to take a xanax to either allow myself a couple hours sleep or to just calm me down from any heavy anxiety I might face? I know xanax itself is addictive but I’ve safely used it as needed for years for bouts of insomnia which only happen a couple days per week. And I’ve never had any notion to abuse it and often go a couple months without needing to use it and never have used it recreationally. My main concern is that there could be some interaction between the kratom and the xanax that could cause negative medical consequences. Thank you for your article and it’s inspiration it’s given me and have a happy holiday season!

Hi again John!! All comments have to be approved by me before they appear. That is to make sure it’s not spam or rude. I don’t work 7 days a week so sometimes it will take a day or two before I look at the comments awaiting my approval. I just approved yours and responded. 🙂

Hi Matt, My name is John. I was a commercial crab fisherman for about 15 years until after countless broken bones I had a catastrophic shoulder and arm injury called a ruptured bicep along with ripping all the tendons and ligaments connecting my bicep to my shoulder which ended my fishing career. This created a chronic pain issue and my doctor put me on a pain management program for about six months then retired and I couldn’t find another doc to continue my program. This made me a classic cliche of the person who wound up on heroin because he couldn’t get pain meds that his doc got him dependent on and then cut him off of. Immediately after switching to heroin I began to like it too much and it turned into an addiction quickly. Until about two years ago I was using up to four grams of the best I could find. Then I realized this wasn’t sustainable once I ran out of accessible veins and had to switch to intramuscular use. That eliminated the rush which I had grown addicted to and my use tapered itself back to 1.5 grams of not that great of stuff daily. I’ve been deeply depressed for about the last year because of being dependent on something that wasn’t fun anymore and I have just been using to stay well and it really doesn’t mitigate my shoulder pain anymore. I learned of kratom from a friend and got really excited because I finally saw a way out. Being a single father in patient rehab was never a possibility because I don’t have anyone to take care of my kiddos for a few months and I never want them to know their dad ever was a drug user. Your article and method was the first one I read on line and the only one I want to go by because I don’t want to overload my brain with a million different methods and advice. Three days ago I made a twenty percent cut from 1.5 grams per day to 1.2 grams per day and didn’t have any negative symptoms worth mentioning. I’d planned on waiting a week and cutting to a gram per day but miraculously I got busy today and am going to finish the day at .9 grams. I’ve been used to four doses every 24 hrs but it appears that three doses of .3 grams per day is immediately doable. I’m not worried about dealing with cravings after I get done with the physical withdrawal which frightens me cuz I went through the whole thing several years back after my doctor retired and before I could find a drug dealer. It was unimaginable hell for about six days. You know the feeling. But know I want nothing in life more than to be free of this dependency. So here’s my questions… First how low do you think I should get my daily dosage down to before I can make the switch to kratom and still be able to function as a parent? Secondly, after I switch to kratom as well as following the rest of your program, if things get to intense can I safely get away with taking a xanax to further help mitigate the symptoms. I know xanax helps because it was the only relief I was able to get when I detoxed the last time that I explained earlier. A friend of mine gave me five xanax bars and I took one per day at the moment I thought death was a possibility and it was the only way I got a couple hours of sleep a day. I just don’t want to risk mixing three kratom with xanax if I’m going to risk some sort of dangerous interaction. Addiction to xanax is not a worry because I’ve used it off and on for years to deal with insomnia issues I’ve had my whole life and know that I go months without it from time to time and never crave it. I just want to make sure it’s a medically safe thing to use in tandem with kratom. Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my very lengthy comments and questions!!! And happy holidays:)

1) You don’t need to taper down to switch to kratom in my opinion. I’ve seen people on much more than you switch over with no symptoms at all.

2). Yes, using Xanax for opiate withdrawal has been proven to be an effective treatment method.It can be dangerous to mix Xanax with kratom but it’s less dangerous than using it with opiates. And if you’re sick from opiate withdrawal then typically the Xanax just helps the anxiety and doesn’t lead to health hazards. But make sure you stay safe and never take something just because I say it could work. Look into it and make sure you’re 100% certain you can safely take something.

Stopping cocaine leads to extreme deficiencies in your brain’s ability to create dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter is responsible for feelings of motivation, pleasure, and to a large extent, happiness.

One of the best ways to restore dopamine production quickly is by taking mucuna pruriens, a natural supplement that contains high level so L-dopa. And L-dopa converts to dopamine in the brain. Calm Support, a supplement I mentioned in this article, contains mucuna pruriens along with many other nutrients that can restore neurotransmitters such as GABA and serotonin, which will also help you feel better. I’m sure that could help. I really hope you feel better soon.

Hi Matt! Firstly, I would like to thank you for the work you’ve done in helping people get off these poisonous drugs once and for all! To give you a little background on me, I was first introduced to painkillers when I was playing arena football, by our team doctor. Not once did he inform me that prolonged use of these little white handcuffs would leave me in horrid withdrawals. This lead me to going from one Dr to another, trying to not only deal with my back pain, but also to avoid being sick. Fast forward a few YEARS, I am now on a suboxone treatment plan, & currently taking 4mg daily. I love the fact that with the help of suboxone, I am able to live a normal life, but I’m also afraid that I just traded one addiction for another. Throughout my treatment plan, my Dr hasn’t really discussed what the end game is for me, & I find that deeply troubling. Honestly, if I could take something at night & wake up never physically needing another pill or suboxone strip, I would be the happiest man on earth! I never used painkillers for recreational use, so I am supremely confident that if I could just kick the physical withdrawal feelings, I would never go back to being handcuffed to a substance. My question is; if I were to try Kratom the way you’ve detailed in this site, what is the outlook in the long term? Will I be trading one addiction for another again, or will Kratom be significantly easier to get off of than suboxone? I’m hesitant because I would hate to jeopardize my suboxone treatment plan for something that might not work for me. Also, would Kratom be something I could try out while still in suboxone treatment? I’m not talking about taking both at the same time, but maybe try Kratom, and if it’s not for me, resume my suboxone treatment? Also, would Kratom trigger a positive drug test? As part of my suboxone treatment plan, I take a urine test before seeing my doctor. I’d hate to try Kratom & it trigger a positive drug test, thus ending my suboxone treatment. Any info on this would be GREATLY appreciated! I’m just so sick of being dependent on a substance, enough is enough. Also, it would be great if I could correspond with you in some way, email or social media, you seem like a great guy that truly wants to help people. Thank you! -David

For starters, you can’t try it when you’re still taking Suboxone. Buprenorphine has an ultra-high binding affinity to the mu- opioid receptors so that doesn’t leave room any opioid drug or herbal opioid such as kratom to fill in those receptor sites and turn on its effects.

It won’t show up on a blood test unless they are specifically testing for kratom. I’ve never in my life heard of any place that has this drug test.

And finally, I’ve only heard positive reviews from people using kratom to get off Suboxone. But there is always a chance you’ll like kratom too much and become addicted! That happens on a small percentage basis, and most are easily able to use kratom to transition off Suboxone, then use kratom and natural remedies, along with exercise to come off with relative ease.

And by “relative ease” I mean it’s a lot easier than if you came off Suboxone cold-turkey. It’s always a bit of an adjustment coming off Suboxone, but with the right plan, it’s more like a minor nuisance rather than a total horrific nightmare.

I’m also going to post a link to an article I wrote that you might really benefit from checking out:

David, get off Subs ASAP and get on Kratom. The longer you are on Subs the harder it is to quit and the side-effects are hell. I was on 12mg x1 daily for >5 years and took the jump a couple months ago. The longer you are on Subs the harder it is to get off and the WD symptoms are something that I wouldn’t want you to have to go through. Trading Painkillers for Subs is a short term fix and works well but DO NOT take longterm. Please listen to Matt’s Kratom advice and you will do well. Best of luck to you! Mark

Thank you Matt for the prompt reply! I think I’m going to try and end this painful chapter in my life, & use the tools you’ve provided. I’ll admit, I’m really nervous in trying Kratom to get off of opiates & suboxone, but I’ve heard so many positive things about it, I figure I’d better try it now before the government gets pressured by big pharma to make Kratom illegal. Thanks again, Matt! Keep up the good work!

Ok peeps here’s one for ya. Was hooked on Cocaine for 30yrs. I mean insanely hooked. $1500 to $2500 3 day straight smoking w audio halucinations. Tried everything. Programs. Meds. Amino acids. All the sudden I stopped. The behavior…everything. Had to be God. That much I know. I took 3 bullets in 1990 in a drug deal gone bad. I rolled a vehicle coming out of Phoenix on the 10 with cruise control on after taking a 1/2 gram rock hit using 2 lighters inhaling as hard as I could. Just remember thinking …oh shit I’m getting dizzy and can hear my heart beat. Anyone OD in in the past knows that feeling. Came to while still rolling off the hiway seat belt on dirt gravel flying in my mouth. Almost rolled on my arm but somehow it flung in before getting smashed during one of the 3 rolls. Walked away from that crash. Threw my pipe and dope out of car during the crash and when cops and paramedics came I went with fell asleep at wheel. Not a hinkling of the truth. Again GOD. So it’s been 8 months now. Sure I do oxycodone for my gunshot injuries. 1 bullet is in a disc of my back. That’s just a snapshot of my 30 yr misery now turned freedom.

Kratom is not an opiate but it is used by many for getting rid of opiates. Limited research has shown that the alkaloids found in the kratom leaves are able to help regulate the amount of insulin and glucose is in the blood, effectively preventing the dangerous peaks and troughs that diabetics face. Kratom is a substitute for treatment of heroin or opiate withdrawal. It is natural stimulant utilized for improving physical performance.

Hi, My husband is starting Kratom tomorrow for opiate withdrawal. He cannot take grapefruit juice due to being on Blood pressure medication. Could you suggest another juice. Thank you so much and i do believe Kratom will help my husband after all of these years of hell.

Does your program outline step by step how to take Kratom, For how long it should be taken and what to expect? It is all a mystery and all internet sites say different things. He took the red and it made him feel like hell. The green is much better for him for opiate withdrawal. I am having a problem with my hatred toward these medical doctors who prescribed this then offering no help to get off of it then cutting him off completely.

Hey Matt! Wow! I just spent hours reading these testimonies! It seems like most of these folks were taking sub, methodone or heroin. I’m not an addict nor do I have an addictive personality. But I certainly have developed a dependency on the Opiates I’ve been taking for 8 years! I’m a vet who was medically discharged years ago diagnosed with degenerative disc disease. I have good days and bad days for sure. My doc has had me on this “pain management plan” for years. A couple times I have missed getting my refills (like over a weekend) and I hated the I’ll effects of NOT having these Opiates. This is what is making me want to get off them completely. I DONT LIKE HAVING TO HAVE ANYTHING! Truth be told, I’m pretty much petrified to get off the Opiates now! I currently take 3 20 mg daily of OxyContin and 2 10-325 of oxycodine for breakthrough pain. (Total of 80mg daily) I would love to try the Kratom to break the dependency! I have a few questions… 1. Should I try to ween off the current meds first? 2. If so, while weening should I start taking Kratom? If so, what dosage? I appreciate your feedback. Thx

It’s so nice to meet you, and I’m very pleased to know that all of the success stories have inspired you! There’s a lot of positivity on here! As for your questions:

If your body and mind could tolerate tapering from 80 mg down to 40 mg over the course of 1-2 months, that would enable a very easy transition to kratom. However, if your body and mind would struggle doing this, then I would just transition to kratom from where you’re currently at.

You would just need to take a bit more kratom than if you transitioned at a lower dosage. You could always purchase some premium kratom, then one day wake up and instead of taking oxy, take the kratom instead, and play around with the dose to see if you can take an amount that makes you avoid withdrawal symptoms.

If you do well on the kratom, you could just remain stabilized on it for awhile, maybe a few weeks to 6 weeks, then you could go on a kratom taper, which is much easier to do than an oxy taper or a taper of any other opioid. Kratom seems to gently and naturally soothe the opioid receptors, allowing for a much gentler taper and then detox off the kratom.

From your current dosage of 80 mg of oxy, you may do well on anywhere from 6-8 grams of kratom per dose, 3-5 or even 6 times a day. You also might need more, like 9-10 grams, but you never know until you try it. You could use your last dose of oxy at night when you usually take it, then the next morning, instead of taking oxy, mix a teaspoon of kratom in juice or water, and wait 60 minutes to see how you feel and tolerate the kratom. If it’s not enough to make you feel okay, take another teaspoon, Wait another 60 minutes, and take up to 3 teaspoons. Though the weights vary depending on the strain, a teaspoon is around 3 grams. So 3 teaspoons would be somewhere around 9 grams, which I believe would be enough, and you may only need 2 teaspoons per dose.

Things like grapefruit juice, orange juice, flaxseed oil, blackseed oil, and turmeric can potentiate the kratom effects, making the effects stronger in magnitude and lasting longer in duration.

Let me know if you have any more questions Jim, and again, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. I really enjoyed reading your story, and I sincerely thank you for serving our country! Please don’t be petrified to get off opiates. Maybe kratom will make you feel better than the oxy. Maybe you’ll have a relatively easy time tapering off kratom after you transition onto it, and maybe you’ll just enjoy taking kratom daily for pain relief, and you’ll decide to stay on it long-term, as many have done.

Kratom is so much healthier for your body than synthetic manmade opioid drugs. I’m currently writing a book on kratom and how to use it for opioid recovery, and I’ve found out so much amazing stuff during my in-depth research. Along with being an opioid agonist, kratom also contains alkaloids that are immune-modulating, anti-cancer, muscle relaxing, and much more. There are at least 28 active alkaloids and the science on this plant is truly remarkable. I can’t wait to publish my book so people can really understand the myriad benefits of this plant.

Hi Matt, I hoping you can help me with my methadone withdrawal. I started using oxycontin for pain relief when I was about 24 yrs old. I have degenerative discs in my neck/upper back which is very painful. Anyway, I used oxycontin for about 2 years and eventually started using heroin. That was the worst mistake of my life bc once on it I couldn’t get off due to severe withdrawal symptoms. So after using heroin for about 5 yrs, I finally had enough and started going to a methadone maintenance clinic. Now I’ve been going to the clinic for about 7 years. In the last year and a half I have slowly weened down from 145mgs of liquid methadone a day to just 9mgs. I was completely fine the whole way down, no withdrawal symptoms until I reached 19mgs but still it was bearable. Since then I’ve continued to feel the symptoms more and more as I get lower. I am currently tapering 1mg per week and will go down to 8mgs on Monday. So I’m hoping to be completely off in about 8 more wks. The problem is, I have absolutely no energy. I can barely get up and take a shower and make food for myself now. On top of that the restless legs are driving me nuts. I’m barely sleeping and when I do I wake up every few minutes. So my question is, can I start using kratom to help reduce the restless legs, lack of energy and insomnia while I’m tapering from 8mgs to zero over the next 2 months or do I have to wait till I get to zero to start using kratom? I’m hoping that I can take it for some relief while still tapering but I don’t want to mess up the taper and the progress I’ve made and make myself worse. I see everyone saying to exercise and I can’t even imagine doing that bc my strength is pretty depleted. So is starting kratom now an option and if not, when is it ok to start? Cravings are not an issue, I never wanna go back on heroin again. Yes I have pain in my back and neck but I’d rather deal with it than ever be addicted to heroin or oxycontin again. I’ve had no desire to use again, and I would never let myself even if I did. I just want relief of these withdrawal symptoms while I finish my taper and to be able to sleep at night. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

I just helped my good friend in a very similar situation to yours. He was down to 18 mg of methadone, and he was really tired all the time, and couldn’t see how he could taper off all the way.

I showed him this article, and he bought kratom, then jumped off methadone at 18 mg and said the kratom was a life-saver. He took kratom for a few weeks then started to taper off kratom, for a total of 2 months on kratom.

Now he is free off kratom and methadone, and he’s trying to get off crystal meth, which is difficult for him. So to answer your questions:

1. Yes you can take kratom while tapering off methadone, but I wouldn’t do that if it were me. I would just get some kratom, stop taking methadone and replace it with kratom, then taper off the kratom, which is MUCH easier than tapering off methadone after being on it for so many years. 2. For energy, I actually just published an article that has an amazing nootropic that boosts energy while quitting opioids like nothing I’ve ever seen. Click on the link below to read about it:

Thank you so much Matt! So I’ll be going down to 8mgs on Monday and want to take your advice about just jumping off methadone at my current dose and start using kratom but am afraid for one reason. I currently go to my clinic once a week for my dose so my worry is that I’ll start taking kratom on Tuesday, the day after I take my 8mg dose at the clinic. I will have my take home bottles for the week but won’t touch them, I’ll try just using the kratom but a week isn’t really much time to see if it is working. My fear is that if for some reason just being on the kratom doesn’t work and I start to really feel withdrawal symptoms, that I won’t be able to return to my clinic after missing the next weekly visit. I hope I’m explaining this clearly…lol….what I’m trying to say is I’m probably going to have to miss my weekly methadone appointment while I’m trying to use only kratom. What do I do if after missing my weekly visit I suddenly realize kratom isn’t enough to help me? I don’t know if they will just let me back into the clinic bc I’ll have missed a weeks worth of dosing. You’ve worked at a place like this, do you know if I’d be ejected for that? Also, if they did let me continue there, would 8mgs not be enough to make me well again since I’d have been off methadone at that point and only on kratom for 1-2 wks? I would hate to have to up my methadone dose if I felt I had to return to the clinic. I am hoping jumping off methadone and replacing it with just kratom will really work but just in case I have these questions. Sorry to be a bother, I know you are super busy 😕

In my professional opinion, kratom is more than strong enough to help someone get off a much higher dose of methadone without withdrawal symptoms. I think you’ll actually have a different problem. Since kratom is so strong, you’ll have to make sure you don’t take too much because you’ll actually get off from it.

I’ve seen people on 25 mg of methadone and even 40 mg of methadone switch over to kratom, then get high because it’s fast-acting. Methadone is slow onset, slow offset, and kratom hits you fast and hard.

But I see your concern. You could always just get some kratom, pick up your take-homes, then not dose for the next 3 days from home, meanwhile take the kratom and see how you feel on it. If you don’t feel good on it, you can start dosing with the methadone again and then continue to go pick up your take-homes.

You do have to continue going to pick up take-homes otherwise you could get knocked down a step, or even have them totally revoked for a period. So you need to stay compliant. However, this 3 or 4 days off methadone test should be a good gauge as to whether or not the kratom will give you the relief that you desire. Make sense?

Ok, thank you for all the great advice. You truly are an amazing person. You give so much of your time to help each and every person that comes to you, just trying to get out of this seemingly never ending cycle of opioid addiction. I am beyond grateful! I’m going to order the kratom and do exactly what you said and I will check back in and let you know how it turns out. Oh, it just occurred to me that it might be even easier to jump off at 8mgs than usual bc I’ve been splitting my dose for the last 2 months bc I have a super fast metabolism and I feel like crap by the evening if I don’t split the dose. If I’m not mistaken, I’ve read that it can help make the withdrawal length shorter or less severe since methadone’s half life should be less if I’ve been splitting my dose. Not sure if that’s true but if it is, I hope it will help. Anyway, I’m nervous but excited at the same time. Wish me luck! I’ll keep you updated. ☺

Oh, one more question…don’t wanna be a pain in the ass but just wanted to ask you how long after I take my methadone should I start taking kratom? Like when I pick up my take homes on Monday I won’t use them but will have to dose that morning at the clinic. I will be taking my dose at 7:30am, so how many hours do I wait to take the kratom? Should I take it that night when I would normally take my second dose of methadone or wait till I feel the withdrawal symptoms a little bit more?

You’re not being a pain, you just want to know what to do and I would be asking the same questions. That shows that you really want to do this right.

I would take the kratom later in the evening when you normally take the other half of your methadone split dose. Please note that you won’t feel the full effects of the kratom for a few days, because it will take awhile for the methadone to slowly leave your system. After about 3-4 days off methadone, the kratom effects will be much stronger than that first night. Each day it will feel stronger for probably up to around a week.

Make sure you don’t take enough kratom to get high, as you don’t want fall in love with kratom and then spend years addicted to that. Although it’s much healthier for your body than methadone and other synthetic opioid drugs.

But even though the kratom that first night will not be in full effect due to the methadone still competing for your opioid receptors, it will still prevent sickness from ensuing. It’s very effective.

Hello Matt, Just checking in to let you know today is day 19 I took the jump cold turkey from Subs. I have been to hell and back but never ever could have done this without your Kratom, Diet, & nutritional advice. I am now feeling great & so free from that awful opioid grip that consumed my life for so long. Thanks for being there for all of us who need help. Mark

WONDERFUL Mark!!!!!! I couldn’t be more proud of you!!! What you’ve done is a remarkable feat, and it must feel so good to have Subs out of your system and not need to take them on a daily basis to prevent sickness.

Your liver and brain thank you, and I commend you for a job well done. Thanks for the progress update Mark, and keep up the amazing work my friend. Enjoy that great feeling, and keep it with you. You’re an inspiration. Take care. 🙂

Hey Matt, just wanna update you on my progress and maybe see if you have a little advice for me. So instead of jumping off methadone at 8mgs, I tapered down for 2 more weeks until I got to 6mgs. At 6mgs I was really feeling the withdrawal bad by evening time and splitting the dose didn’t help much.

So I jumped off at 6mgs and started using the Red Vein Bali kratom. I’ve been taking vitamins as well. Anyway, it’s going pretty well so far but have had a few little problems. I’m now going into day 5 without methadone. I’m very happy I was able to get this far but am getting a little nervous now.

I first tried taking the kratom powder and mixing it with OJ. I’m allergic to grapefruit juice so I can’t use that. I used 1 tablespoon and mixed it with the juice. Omg it was so disgusting, lol. I got half the cup down and had to stop for 10 or 15 min bc I didn’t wanna throw up. When I tried finishing it, I immediately vomited from the taste. Some must have been absorbed though bc I started feeling better about 30 min later. For my next dose I bought capsules and filled them. It took longer to feel it and it wasn’t as strong but I did take less so that’s probably why.

So I took 5 capsules (about 5 grams I think). I did that for the first 2 days and it worked well enough. Withdrawal was totally gone as long as I took it within 6 or 7 hours each time. By the 3rd day the withdrawal was worse. I had to go up to 7g at a time and started feeling sick by 3 and a half hours, same with today. I’ve been pushing myself to wait 4-5 hours tho between each dose. So now I just finished day 4. It’s midnight and by 2am I’ll be starting day 5.

Now I’m a little worried about ending up in withdrawal from kratom bc I have to take it so often. Another problem is that I had no withdrawal the first 2 days but 3 and 4 have been harder. Even when I take 7g I still feel weak and my RLS is bothering me somewhat. Should I be taking a higher dose?

Also, the first 2 nights I slept till morning but since then I’m being woken up with intense RLS, like real bad after only 2 or 3 hours sleeping. When the RLS wakes me up it’s also accompanied by a pounding heartbeat and I feel really shaky. The heartbeat and shakiness only lasts like 20 min but it freaks me out. So today I napped for an hour today and woke up abruptly with the RLS really bad again but I had just taken kratom like 2 and a half hours before so I guess maybe I’m not taking emough, I dunno?

So I decided to take one 5mg valium today to calm my heartbeat and legs and it worked but only for an hour and a half. My heart was fine but RLS came back. I’m dreading going to sleep tonight bc of the painful and abrupt RLS I get woken up with. I feel it when I’m awake too but much worse if I wake up with it. Should I take a valium at bedtime for a few days? And do you think the hardest part of withdrawal will be over soon since I’m going on day 5? Also, I have no idea when to stop using kratom. I can’t even think about weaning yet bc I’m still in pain sometimes. So what is your opinion? Raise the dose and take valium or wean down bc I’m going on day 5? So confused and nervous bc I definitely don’t wanna end up back at the clinic. I’m not gonna go Monday bc if I do they will make me take my dose and by then I’ll have been off for 7 days so I think it will just set me back. But if the withdrawal is gonna get a lot more severe as days go on I dunno if I could do it. Do you think I’m almist through the acute withdrawal days?

Hi again! Don’t worry, just increase the amount of kratom you’re taking. It sounds like you’d really benefit from taking 9-10 grams of kratom per dose, and you I’m glad you got the capsules since it was making you puke! One trick I did was use my blender to mix the kratom with juice well, then I would plug my nose while I drank it, and after drinking it, chug some milk while my nose was still plugged. Then, I would unplug my nose and as a result, never tasted the kratom or even had a kratom aftertaste.

And methadone withdrawal is not the same as withdrawal from short-acting opioids. With short-acting opioids, Day 1 sucks, Day 2 is much worse, and Days 3-4 are the peak where the withdrawal symptoms are the most severe, and Day 5 you still don’t feel well, but the main part is over and the withdrawal symptoms subside considerably.

With methadone, Suboxone, Probuphine, Zubsolv, and other long-acting opioids, the acute withdrawal symptoms don’t begin after 12 hours, like with short-acting opioids. Instead they begin around hour 30, and they slowly get worse and worse. Thus, Day 5 of methadone withdrawal is not even the peak of intensity yet. Also, you’ve been on methadone for quite some time, thus, your withdrawal could last a few weeks.

In which case I’d encourage you to increase your kratom dosage to a level that stabilizes you and provides you with enough mental and physical health to feel at least okay on a daily basis. I would stay on your optimal stabilization dosage for at least 3 weeks if not 4 or even 5. Then, from this point, I would start a kratom taper.

I would lower my dose every 7 days. As an example, lets say you were taking 10 grams of kratom, 3x a day during you several week kratom stabilization period. Then, when it came time to taper, you could drop that dose to 8 grams of kratom 3x a day. 7 days later, drop it to 6 grams, then 7 days later, 4 grams, then 3.5 grams, 3 grams, 2.5 grams, 2 grams, 1.5 grams, 1 gram, then jump off kratom.

You can customize you taper plan any way you like. It’s much easier to taper off kratom than anything else available. It’s a true miracle plant for this.

I’m actually writing a book right now that I’ll publish in a few months, which has hundreds of pages of detailed information on this method. So far, the title which could be altered is The Kratom Playbook For Opiate Recovery: How to use the Kratom-Transistion-And-Taper Method to get off ANY Opioid with Ease.

I’ve coined the terms Kratom-Transition-And-Taper Method and K-TAT Method, and the book is going to shed light on some really amazing opioid recovery techniques using kratom and literally dozens of other very helpful strategies and tactics.

To answer your last question:

I don’t think you’re almost through the acute withdrawal days. My best guess would be that you have 1-2 weeks of acute withdrawal based on your methadone history, even though you tapered to a low amount. I would just take more kratom, exercise, eat healthily, drink plenty of water, and take the recommended supplements, as well as use other methods you’ll find on this website.

If you have any more questions, I’m more than happy to see you through this. You’re doing great, and I’m super proud of you! Keep up the good work my friend. You’ll get through this.

Hey Matt, just checking in to let you know how it’s going. I’m on day 18 without methadone and it has gotten a lot easier. The Red Bali kratom has been a lifesaver. I would have never been able to get off methadone without it. I wish I had known about it years ago.

The first 2 wks I felt exhausted all the time but that was ok as long as the kratom was keeping all my other withdrawal symptoms at bay. I only felt the symptoms start to get bad if I would let more than 5 hours go by without taking another dose.

Once I got to day 14 I noticed a reduction of my symptoms. Since then I can go 6-9 hours without having to take another dose. Even when I do wait longer, the withdrawal symptoms I start to feel are less severe. I’m sleeping much better and have more energy than I did the first 2 weeks. I notice on the days I eat the healthiest that I sleep the best.

I’m still not through my withdrawal but I’m hoping I will be soon. I tried reducing my kratom dose by 1 gram about 4 days ago but I felt the withdrawal symptoms on that dose so I went back to my regular dose of 6 grams. I’m gonna try to reduce again in about 3 days when I get to day 21. I hope I’m able to do it. I kniw you said it may take a month or two for me to get through the acute withdrawal since I was on a high dose of methadone for 7 years so I’m thinking positive and trying to be patient.

I’m hoping what I feel when I tried reducing my dose was still the methadone withdrawal and not kratom withdrawal. I’m hoping tapering off kratom isn’t as painful as methadone. I believe it’s the methadone withdrawal I’m still feeling bc the symptoms came right away when I reduced my dose and kratom withdrawal symptoms wouldn’t start for like 24 hours or so, right? Just wanted to check with you. Anyway, I’m still happy with how much the kratom has helped and hope I’m on my way to being completely done with withdrawal 😀

Congrats on your achievement! Wow this is great news! Keep on kicking butt, and yes…you were on methadone for a very, very long time, thus I wouldn’t rush getting off kratom.

It’s the only thing saving your butt right now. For your situation, you might really benefit from remaining stabilized for at least 4 weeks total if not 6 weeks, before starting a taper. Sometimes methadone withdrawal lasts 1-2 months after getting off methadone, so trying to taper off kratom too early is counterproductive.

Furthermore, I hope you have some really good supplements to help you through this. That’s what will be the extra help you need once you start tapering off kratom.

Hey Matt, just wanted to let you know I’ve been off methadone for about 35 days now. Feeling so much better. I still feel weak but not as bad as a few weeks ago. I’m still not sleeping normally but I have nights where I sleep 8 hours which is great. I tried tapering off kratom a couple of times over the past 2 weeks but still felt too sick to keep it up. Two days ago I went down to 5 grams and am feeling ok so I’m gonna stay at this dose for a few days and then continue the taper. I just wanna thank you for all your advice and help. I couldn’t have done this without kratom and your guidance. I will be forever grateful to you. What you do here really saves lives. Thank you so much!!

This is wonderful news!!! Congrats on your success, and you really have come a long way, my friend. Enjoy this feeling and I’m sure you’ll be fine as long as you taper according to how your body responds. Thank you for the very kind words, and it was my privilege to provide you with information on how to feel okay during this process. Also, I thank you for posting here to share your experience using this method. You’ve added a lot of value to this comment section. Take care!

I am using the tool you suggested to stop taking 4 to 5 hydros a day, for years, due to a broken neck. I just received both Calm Support and Maeng Da. I have already gone down to a 3.5 a day tapper. I have two questions, do you have a method I could follow using the tapper method? And also is it OK to take Kratom to help with the WD at the same time I am tappering myself off?

I am currently on a 2mg Suboxone taper. In 2 months, I will be completely off if I stay on schedule. I went down from 4mg earlier this week and its about day 5 and I am feeling the exhaustion, yawning, runny nose, muscle aches (the symptoms you have mentioned) even though I am still taking the 2mg every morning. Is it okay to use the Kratom to help alleviate (and keep me from taking more sub) while I am tapering or do I have to be off the Subs first?

Don’t take the kratom while still on Suboxone. The buprenorphine has such a high affinity for the mu opioid receptors that it blocks out all other opioids you try and take.

Are you taking any supplements on your taper? Those can really help. You also cut your dosage by 50% and that was more than your body wanted you to lower it. So now you’re paying the price. I would recommend taking supplements and exercising during the taper, and after awhile your body should adjust to 2 mg.

If it were me I would have only gone from 4 mg to 3.5 mg or at most 3 mg. Here is an article I wrote that has a ton of remedies you can use that will help to reduce your withdrawal symptoms:

Also, for energy, stress relief, and a feeling of joy, I just tried a nootropic stack called the Ultimate Focus Stack.

I finally found something that is AMAZING at giving a person instant energy while getting off opioids or lowering dosage on a taper. The nootropics in this stack work synergistically and man oh man, they really make you feel good. This stack gives you the motivation and happiness that is zapped from you while coming off opioids.

Hello, here I am day 8 stopped subs cold turkey. I have been on 12mg x 1 daily for 8 years and I am sick of being a slave to this drug. Like a fool I was completing in the dark about the serious WD symptoms until it hit me around day 2. I have been taking Kratom but not nearly as much as I have heard about on other post. Day 2-7 virtually no sleep whatsoever. RLS, severe arm pain & weekness, feel as I am jumping out of my skin constantly & worse of all severe insomnia. Nighttime is hell for me and I am not sure why my WD hits me so hard at around 2:00am daily. Last night I slept a few hours because I increased my Kratom and sadly had to resort to taking Clonazepam. Please give me some abvice and let me know if the worst is now over. Thank you very much.

I’m so sorry to hear you’re having to go through this difficult process Mark. The best advice I can give you is to read my article on Suboxone withdrawal remedies and see what else you can take to help you reduce the severity of your symptoms.

Thank you, Matt. I really appreciate your quick feedback. I am fortunate enough to have plenty of Kratom on hand so I Intend to use it per your instructions. In your opinion do you think the worse of my WD symptoms are over? Tomorrow is day 9 clean of Subs! Best regards, Mark

My pleasure Mark. I’m happy to help. And I’m glad to hear you have plenty of kratom. As for withdrawal symptoms, the worst of your withdrawal symptoms should be over at least close to it. Make sure to do a short kratom taper before you jump off it completely, and use the recommended supplements, nutrition, and exercise as well.

I was a furniture mover & suffered a lot of back pain. I took 4 10mg methadone tabs a day. Then mom passed so I had to move from Monterey, ca to Missouri😠 to care for my dad. My doctor told me to taper taking a half pill less every 2 weeks. I finally took my last 5mg of methadone then came the withdrawals, sleeplisness, skincrawls & wrestlers leg syndrome. I knew I had to be 100% percent. So after 10 of no methadone I found out about Meat on. In Missouri it’s hard to find! I had to call about 15 different stores and then found it at a headshop. Almost completely cured me of withdrawals. I researched deeply & its not an opiate the way methadone is. Ive never been an addict. Just like anyone when you take pain killers for an extended amount of time withdrawals are a side effect. TAKING KRATOM DOES NOT PROLONG THE WITHDRAWAL PROCESS. You’re wd’s are still happening, but are almost non existent. The Meat on works naturally to help. When u feel you’re done with Kratom any residual withdrawals will be very mild like quitting coffee. Taking Kratom is not like taking hydrocodone and it works on a whole different level. It doesn’t bind to your receptors in the same way opiates do.

Hi there. I just want to share my experience with you and whoever might need help. I read this over and over but mostly I read your comments and felt I had last hope to beat this tramadol addiction. I went to a little market in Lincoln City and bought red vein powder and white vein capsules. My last tramadol was at 1pm I took half a teaspoon of red with chocolate milk at 8:45pm. I felt the warm rush in 5 min. Maybe I should of taken it at 5 but it was very strong. Very heady for me but wth I threw the tramadol across the room and text my niece and just rode it out. Around 12am I started yawning and felt really good. I ate a little something and it really made me feel good. I didn’t want to sleep. But I knew it was important to sleep so I took my Ambien and ate some pineapple and crackers and fell right to sleep. I think I woke up at 5 or 6 with a few symptoms but popped 2 white and fell in and out of sleep. I have had only 1 sweat session for a minute here and there but nothing else. I took 2 more at 10 and ate some eggos and turkey sausage w/coffee at 11. Just being able to walk down to the kitchen and do this is a miracle. Last week when I attempted to stop I couldn’t even see or breathe. I was a sweating mess! I was all over the bed in front of the fan. Even tho I was sweating I would get really cold. I couldn’t take it and called in for a script. I cried as I swallowed the pills but 20 min later I was feeling normal. Whatever that normal is. I sat in the movie theater that night and felt like a loser. That’s when I decided to really research natural remedy to stop. I have loads of gabapentin that’s supposed to help but I just couldn’t see myself loading up on a anti seizure med. I’m a health nut and I felt that was my last resort. I would see quick note in other forms to try Kratom but not much other info. Then I found this forum and another and decided ok I will give it a shot. It seems to be working for me. I have not touched the pills and don’t care. It is half way thru my first day and I’m sure I have the tram still in my system. Maybe when it is all out I will have full blown withdrawal. I don’t know. I wanted to get out and do things but I’m going to lay low and do little things. Wash my hair clean the house. I think I prefer the white vein but I will try taking a smaller dose of red tonight and see how that goes. Just feeling like my old self from 2011 is so nice. My eyes are more wide open and I just see things differently. I want to thank you all for being so raw and honest. It helped me have that honest look at myself and just want to be a better role model for my niece and myself. I know I can help someone else down the road. I will post again tomorrow and let you know. Wish me luck.

Well it’s day 5. I’m still taking the Kratom. I had 2 days of very little sleep and have to work a full week so Dang! The K is still working. I. Still taking around the same number of capsules and red powder in the eve. Last night I took a little more then I usually do and got that heady feel and very light nausea. I took to Lope and started feeling better but got really cold. A hot bath fixed that. I went to bed at 11 and work up at 4am. I fell back to sleep at 6:30 after taking 2 wvein. I woke up at 8 and got ready for work. I’m just wondering how much longer I should do this. I felt really tired and draggy at work so I took to 2 more wvein at 11:30 and feel better. I don’t want the tramadol but I miss the way I felt. If I still had my pills I don’t know if I would of taken them. That makes me sad. I still don’t feel like myself and have this weird tick in my right eye. I don’t want to continue everyday of K so I will start to taper this weekend to just 1 capsule twice a day and 1/4 powder at night if I need it. I was going to get some grapefruit juice but I don’t think I need the K to work better then it already is. Im happy I’m pill free at day 5 but I thought I would feel more joy. I feel kinda empty. I’ve read enough to know that this is par of the course and to give myself time but it still sucks. I will post again this weekend on my taper. Til then:)

Hi it’s Steph from mid September post last year. I came off the Kratom too soon and experienced Tramadol withdrawal symptoms like sneezing ECT. But Paws got me early January. I just felt good awful empty. So I started the Tram again. It was not the same. I would get ringing in my ears and a little hard to breathe and some bad headaches. I was taking 200 mil a day. Come on. That was stupid. So I started the Kratom 4 days ago. I still get the ringing and some hot flashes but it’s going good. I might have to take a anti depressent after the physical wears off or maybe more exercise and supplements. I just really underestimated Paws and how bad it makes you feel and forget why you wanted to stop the addiction in the first place. But Kratom is a godsend and thanks Matt and you peeps for posting. Matt I will buy your book cause I think Kratom is going to be the plant that will save so many lives if given the chance!

Kratom just changed my life. I have been on Kratom & no oxy or poppy tea for 8 days straight with no issues. Please people, use it and get OFF your opiates. It’s almost too good to be true but I cannot believe my life change.

Hi Matt. Thank you for all the awesome advice on Kratom! I have been on 80 mills of methadone for 5 years, lots of other opioids before that for 5 years. I tapered down fast, from 8 a day to 6 the next day to 5 and so on the first week. I’m in week 2 of no methadone. I read your article and started taking Kratom about 5 days ago, I started with about 5 grams and felt no difference. Two days later I tryed about 15 grams and voila! Now I’m taking about 30 grams a day. My withdrawal symptoms without it are horrendous. I get up in the morning and my whole body feels like I’m going to have a seizure, never had one but only way I can explain it. I take a heaping teaspoon of Kratom in grapefruit juice and 20 minutes later I’m fine. I’ve reasearched lots of articles on how long it takes to become physically addicted to Kratom, because I’m worried about it. I am a business owner and I can’t go to work jonesing but I don’t want to become addicted to this stuff. I’ve heard it takes 30 days to develop a dependence. Can you please give me your thoughts?

It’s so awesome to hear that the kratom is preventing severe methadone withdrawal. Congrats on getting off that stuff! It’s not easy. As for the kratom, you may wish to stay at your present dose for a few days to a week, then start tapering off it over the course of 3-4 weeks.

You could do something like:

Week 1: 30 grams

Week 2: 21 grams

Week 3: 14 grams

Week 4: 7 grams

Week 5: 3.5 grams

Then jump off kratom at 3.5 grams

If you take the recommended supplements, eat healthy, exercise, drink plenty of water, and get to sleep before 11 pm consistently, all of these combined with the kratom taper will allow you to significantly reduce withdrawal symptoms. And if you also get a full-body deep tissue massage every 7-14 days, take an epsom salt bath 2-3 nights a week, and do qigong 2-3 times a week or more, these will also help tremendously.

Let me know if you have any other questions. And again CONGRATS on getting off methadone! Now it’s time for part 2 which is using the kratom taper and other natural methods to finish the job. 🙂

Hello Matt, I wrote to you a few days ago and want to thank you for your Kratom and nutritional advice. I was a longterm subs user (12mg daily) for many years and quit cold turkey. I wish I was better educated (as I am know thanks to you) and better prepared before the jump. Days 2-7 I was walking death and actually thought I would be better off. I am now on day 12 off of Subs and experiencing very little WD. I am actually starting to sleep at night and man that feels so good! Thank you for being there for me in my time of need. Best regards, Mark

Congrats on your 12 days off Subs!!! This is remarkable…especially given the dosage you were on for several years. I’m really happy to hear that you’re sleeping and experiencing very little withdrawal. I’m glad I was able to be there for you! I know it’s no walk in the park getting off opioids, so again I just want to say how proud of you I am. Keep it up, as your new life of freedom awaits you. 🙂

Kratom is an AMAZING, rarely spoken-of resource for opiate Detox. It is unfortunate the US is now trying to make it a Schedule I substance, similar to the likes of Cocaine, Heroin & Ecstasy. Pretty much any medication or substance you take, your body will develop a dependence to it because it causes the body to change (it exerting its effects so it can work). The key is recognizing this and not letting the use get out of hand, or turn into abuse. Something else that anyone who is thinking of quitting opiates should consider is, no matter what, you will feel the effects of withdrawal, albeit physical or mental. That’s your body’s way of expelling the toxic buildup of the drug in your body and trying to adjust to how it was before you started abusing. If you go into it with a positive, yet tolerant mindset things will be much easier for you. I did not do that the first few times, and ended up right back in the Lions Den because I expected things like Kratom to be a miracle based off a lot of what I read, and then when I still felt cravings, got so frustrated and felt it was not working for me, and gave in to temptation, rather than be so thankful for how much pain I was being saved from taking the Kratom. Depending on how much you abuse per day (I was blowing around 210mg of oxy a day for 3-4 years) and due to the very short half life and length of effects of Kratom, I found 6-7 grams, 3 to 4 times a day to be the perfect amount during Detox. It varies per person, just make sure, if you start feeling euphoric effects from Kratom, you’re probably taking too much. As I mentioned earlier it can be addicting too, especially to people quitting opiates, who now have little to no chemicals in the brain producing pleasure, so anything that does you automatically gravitate towards. During acute Detox I took around 6-7 grams, 3-4x per day, basically when I started to feel the symptoms coming back, and then once right before I went to bed so I could try to sleep. I still had somewhat difficulty sleeping even on Kratom during acute Detox, but I am such a light sleeper anyways and attributed it to that, as when I have detoxes cold turkey I went as long as 4 days with 30 minutes of sleep. A crucial part a lot of people overlook while detoxing/abusing opiates is how much you have neglected your body. It is so vital during this stage that you nourish your body with clean, healthy foods, tons of veggies, a LOT of protein, and cut back on caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and sugar as they will cause you to crash. It might seem like a quick fix initially, but, speaking from experience, you will regret it after a few hours (again, everyone is different, so maybe not!) another step that helped me not only quit Kratom, but through the early stages of Detox was FORCING myself to exercise, and do things that (prior to abusing pills) made me happy. I truly underestimated the importance of exercising throughout this. I am 3 months clean currently and can say I would not be if it had not been for exercise. It took my mind off of cravings, made me feel relaxed and happy (huge plus, especially during Detox). I used Kratom for 1 week at the dose listed above, and then to avoid withdrawal from that, I cut the dosing intervals in half, and began to cut my actual doses in half (around 3-4 g) over the following week.

Not to sound dramatic, but I never thought I would achieve sobriety given how bad my addiction got. I know some people have it much worse, but at 5’2″ and 100 pounds, 210mg of oxy a day is an elephant sized habit. During my last (& final) Detox, I stumbled across Opiate Addiction Support. Anyone looking to quit, seriously, should look at Matts home Detox eCourse and the hundreds of helpful articles he’s taken the time to write and post regarding supplements to help cope through withdrawal, getting your energy back, making it through PAWS etc. even as a healthcare provider, I was not even nearly as fully educated about all the different ways you can alleviate your withdrawal symptoms, and would not be clean to this day if it weren’t for this page! Thank you again Matt!

This is going to be a very honest an open comment. I AM AN ADDICT. I can be clean for an amount of time but i can and always give in. It is who i am and i ACCEPT IT. There are people like me out there and i want you to know kratom is the answer. So this is the longest ive ever been off of opiates… Why? Kratom. I WOULD RATHER TAKE KRATOM THAN AN OPIATE. I accept who i am, i do not take kratom for a high, i take it because it keeps WD away and allows me a mental break from it all. A lot of people are un realistic, MOST of you will not stay clean forever, you will go back this is a brutal truth. But Kratom is here for people like US. IT IS OK to be like us, i dont chose this but it is me and i accept who i am. Kratom can be there for you and IT IS A CHOICE. Kratom is like my daily vitamin, i take it at the same time in capsule form so it fits into a healthy life style. If you are like me, choose to bring kratom in as a life style choice. Kratom over heroin ANY DAY! Again, kratom is not getting me high, it is my tool to keep me on the straight and narrow path. I DARE anyone to try and tell me what i do is wrong. 6 Months heroin FREE because of a daily capsule i take with my vitamins and i am happy and proud to be a daily kratom user. This is not the way for everyone, but for me it is my life saver.

Thank you for sharing this viewpoint. I share it as well. Kratom is a natural plant that can help with opiate withdrawal, cravings, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other health issues. It’s much healthier to take kratom than any man-made opiate drug. I’ve known people that take it responsibly to stay off strong opiate drugs, and they say it’s a wonder plant.

I totally agree. Using kratom daily allows an individual to prevent opiate withdrawal symptoms and cravings, and they can continue to use kratom until they have reached a state of life balance, then they can continue to use it, or taper off.

But there is absolutely nothing wrong with staying on kratom long-term. It’s healthier for your body than opiate drugs, other prescription pills, alcohol, cigarettes, and even junk food.

The key is to only take enough to get a relief of symptoms, and not to use so much that you’re getting high. I’m so glad that kratom has been a lifesaver for you. I have loved this plant for years now, and seen it help countless individuals.

I am just like you and wish I could stop this. I am a as addict. I use to use opiates every single day got addicted after a back surgery. Well I found Kratom and it’s amazing but once a month I buy Percocets and stop my kratom after my percs run out I get back on my kratom until the next month. I hate this I cannot stop thinking of opiates, I truly thing it’s all in my head because sometimes I will just take one percent 10 mg and everything goes away I’m not talking withdraw I’m talking my depression, anxiety. I feel normal. But I also feel normal on kratom. I truly need help to stop getting these pills once a month. They last me a week then I just use kratom till I get them again. Does anyone have any advice? I do have a addictive personality. When I say I’m not going to buy anymore I get a text that some are available and there I go buying them. Sometimes they dont give me the high I use to get but just knowing I took some makes it all better. HELP!!!

My recommendation would be to really study from this website, as I believe it has the information you need to quit opiates for good. The first step is to gain the awareness that you have a problem, and you’ve done that. Now you just need to write out on paper all the reason why you want to give up opiates. You have to have powerful “reasons why” you want to quit.

People typically don’t change until they link massive pain to using opiates, and massive pleasure to quitting opiates. It all comes down to having strong reasons why you want to quit, and then having the mindset and self-discipline to do what is necessary to detox from opiates and go through a little short-term pain to make it to freedom.

asp, I was prescribed methadone 4 10mg tabs a day. I tapered off, had skincrawls, restless leg syndrome $ sleeplisness. I just got Kratom INDIO taps) I take 4 in the am & 4 at pm. My question is: Is Kratom a substitute masking the withdrawals or does it take most of them away for good? I feel ok on Kratom. But, when I stop the Kratom, will the initial methadone withdrawals return. No one can seem to answer this question…. HELP?

It varies per individual, based mainly on what type of opiates you were taking, dose, frequency, and genetic makeup. Since Methadone and Suboxone have much longer half-lives than other opiates, the withdrawal (from experience) is not as severe, but can be perceived as such because it is more prolonged, lasting 2-4 weeks opposed to a week.

If you are diligent about taking only enough Kratom to dull your withdrawal symptoms as well as make a point to taper off of it after 2-3 weeks, you should not feel withdrawal from it. I had 1-2 days of feeling lethargic and irritable when I completely stopped the Kratom, otherwise it helped me with 80% of my symptoms. It was a god send.

So in other words, it does not mask the symptoms unless you take large quantities for a long time, causing you to get ‘high’ off of it or for a long enough time for your body to become physically dependent on it!

Thanx bud, I was afraid after stopping Kratom, The initial withdrawals would return. I have never taken any drug including marijuana in my life until I hurt my back & my Dr gave me the methadone. mostly cause it’s cheap as I had no insurance. So I get the caplets, it’s called INDO. I still feel a bit skin-crawly but it’s good to know they fight the methadone withhdrawals. I’m flying from Springfield MO to Colorado. Will I be ok bringing my Kratom. I plan on buying a new unopened bag & putting it in a bag with a receipt. I need to know if they’d refuse to let me take. It’s natural but I’m worried. Can u give me any info on this?

My story is much like everyone here. I wanted to share since being here helped me a whole bunch. I started with using vicodin for a colon issue that is very painful. From there I found someone that said that oxy’s would be better with the pain. The first time I attempted to stop I was using somewhere 100mg a day. And one day decided to stop. I thought I would die. Had never stopped before. I made it to 8 days and then ran to get some. I went back using the same amount but at this time I knew this was not good. I went to the hospital and I got clean because I had to go to jail and did not want to withdraw at that place. When I got out it didn’t take long before I was at it again. Now I feel that I have jump off this cliff I am on. Well I did the taper which took several weeks. Towards the end I was taking 5mg n the morning and another at my lunch. It was worse for me at work so that is why I took them during the day. I started to use more a day when my contact said they may not have any for a couple of weeks. At that moment I decided that this was it. I was going to get off. I decided to use kratom which I had never used. My son told me about it and got it for me. Since I had tapered I took the last oxy on Friday. Saturday I felt yucky but doable. I used less than 10mgs . Sunday I took used more but I felt well. On Monday I felt the worse. Kratom helped but I was feeling like pure. Tuesday I was so surprised because I did not feel any withdrawals. Today is Wednesday and when I woke up I felt like my body weighed a ton. I stayed home and did not take Kratom until 4:00 pm. I feel okay. I think that what helped me is that I used the taper method. And of course the Kratom helped too. I don’t have that cloud feeling anymore. I will not go back. Getting off this time I feel lucky. The first time I stopped i was on day eight and felt like I did on day 1. If you can do the taper. You will still go through withdrawals but not as bad. Get your mind ready. Get your Kratom and taper down. I hope this helps.

Hello Matt….I’m very grateful for your research and program. I didn’t however really follow it to a tee, I bought the Red Bali Kra and I mix a heaping teaspoon in 3 oz of choc. milk. (I know ….disgusting) But, I am good at getting foul medicines down. So I replaced my 10mg oxycodone when I felt the need, w/Kra. Got almost a pot buzz and was good for about 5 Hrs. Then over 2 weeks or so, I started halving my Oxy and taking the Kra. in between. Now I am down to about just 7Mg of Oxy in the morning, maybe, not always another 5 mg. around 4 with no Kra in between, and a heaping spoon of Kra about two Hrs. before bed….and I’m good to go. I just ordered Calm support (I know..a little late) but I will start taking it as soon as I get it. I expect to be off Oxy totally in 2 to 3 weeks. I have Lung Cancer and originally took the Oxy for the pain and the mental relief of having Cancer but then….there was no more pain and I accept the Cancer diag. plus I have had no evidence of Cancer for almost 2 Yrs. So………………Now I have been addicted to Oxy for 2 Yrs. 10Mg. every 4 to 5 Hrs. I have an addictive personality anyway and this sure fed into it! Thank God and Kra., I am almost clean. Keep up the great work and thanks! Regards, Jack

I find that taking my Opiates and slowly taper at the same time as kRATOM there is not detox. After about 7 days of both and then KRATO!M only for another 7 days and that’s it no more addition. I have been off my meds with no after affects for a long while. This is what worked for me.

I desperately need help. I have been going regularly to my pain management dr. (same dr.) for years and we had a very good relationship. The trust between us was awesome. Fast forward to the last few months. He moved back east to have his family/children be close to grandparents and even though my loss is tremendous I fully understand his need.

He practiced in an office setting with another pain management dr. that has a personality of a clam. I only had to deal with him 1 to 2 times over the span of several years I was with this office.

I have been hospitalized A LOT since January of this year due to systemic infections. January’s admit resulted in a 73 day stay. May’s admission was a 45+ day stay. Suffice to say I missed my refill appts. with the lone Dr. that I didn’t care for at my old pain clinic and I called to let the office know ahead of time why ( that i was in the hospital)_ ….was told not to worry…when you get out give us a call and we will get you taken care of. I didn’t worry about it as my old dr. would do the same thing and I never had any issues…. boy was I wrong!!!

Discharging hospital dr. gave me 3 small scripts for less than 2 weeks coverage of Dilaudid 4 mg. , Oxycontin 10 mg. BID , and Hydrocodone 5-325. My usual pain meds I got from my pain dr. were Dilaudid 4 mg. and I could take every 4 hours as needed and Hydro 10-325 every 6 hours.

My physical issues are herniated/ruptured disks mid and lower back – right knee joint has fully collapsed and needed a total knee replacement over 1 yr. ago but I can’t get it done til I clear up the infection issues – left foot and heel toasted had MRI and had large quantities of fluid in the heel where there is no reason for it to be there, infarcts in several of the bones along with marked degeneration- I use a walker for stumbling about in the house and a wheelchair when going elsewhere because the pain level trying to walk dissolves me into tears it is that bad. I am an adrenal pt. on top of all this mess going on 6 plus years….6 plus years of having to take steroids (prednisone) to stay alive because i have NO ADRENAL function thanks to a PA that gave me the wrong medication 6 yrs. ago following my cervical neck fusion and it killed off ALL of my adrenal function. Zero zip, as in NO adrenal function. Prior to this surgery just to stabilize and keep from having permanent nerve damage ( old auto accident several years ago) I was 150ish lbs. active as all get out – NO physical maladies , might go to the dr. once a year …I was never sick…. fast forward to 6 years of steroids…gained 140 lbs…steroid induced diabetes injection controlled, NO immune system hence the infections that I can get constantly…my May admit found me with a white count of 28,900 – I was in ICU I was that sick.

Sorry for the length of this post but I have some serious issues…I have never abused my pain meds as in never ever… I take them as prescribed…. get out of the hospital and I called to see the pain mgt. dr. as I have always done..only to be told that HE won’t see me because I filled scripts from another dr. and I’m like WTF??? They only wrote them for a week or so to get me over to getting IN to my pain mgt. dr. and I told them that. Then I was told he would request my hospital records and it would easily be 2-3 weeks before I could see him…. that was on July 3rd….I ran out of the small holdover scripts written on July 2nd….as in nothing…. I hadn’t filled the Oxycontin script though because I couldnt afford the 250.00 price tag….the dr. told me that I would have to see if an ER , Urgent Care or my family dr. would write for me in the interim,

Now this jackwad KNOWS I have been in his office setting for years so I am a known patient…he also knows that I literally have NO pain meds and stopped them basically cold turkey as I ran out when I had been told by his office staff ‘no problem we will get you taken care of”….

well it is a HUGE problem….I am hurting so badly that my husband couldn’t stand seeing me in such pain that he scraped the funds up and filled the Oxycontin on July 6th. I live in a split level house with a ton of stairs….to get out of my house and to the car is well over 150 ft. and 24 stairs…most with no handrails…. I am in so much pain it hurts to move….my knee is screaming…my foot is throbbing….I feel like someone is beating me with a ball bat…and I can barely get to the car. I did as I was told….summoned up all my energy and drug myself out of the house 4 times this week to only be told by the ER, Urgent Care and family dr. that they won’t write for me even though I can bring them proof that I am only asking for what I had been taking for a long time… went out AGAIN to the pain clinic …easier to put you off on the phone harder in person….to NOW be told that he won’t see me til I am out of the Oxycontin…. it is 10 mg. twice a day and it does nothing for my pain…I might as well be eating PEZ candies….he didn’t use that as his excuse on July 2nd, July 3rd and July 5th when my husband and I were calling his office…that is the only reason my husband filled the Oxy script on July 6th !!! Today he flip flopped and said he won’t see me til I am done with this Oxy even though I told him I would go home get the balance of the script and give it to him..just give me the meds that work for me and are less potent than the Oxy…..no go…

I want to try Kratom and I can get it locally….I cannot deal with this pain…..

I understand that you seem to have many health issues (I thought I had a lot), but I’m wondering if this is some higher power telling you to fight through this pain and rise above it. It’s amazing how powerful the human mind is, the old saying “mind over matter” is truly powerful. Maybe use this time to stop all the pain meds and try even the smallest amount of physical exercise to get your natural pain killers (your own endorphins) to help with your pain. The only reason I’m suggesting this is I finally decided to get this monkey off my back. I have a very painful autoimmune disease, but I believe with all my might, that I can “will” this disease away, but before I can do that, I had to stop all this pain medication. I was taking the Fentanyl patch 75mcg every 2 days and 60mg oxy a day. Went to my doc last week and asked him not to refill my patches because I weaned myself off. He was shocked but said if I feel okay, then to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m now in the process of kicking the oxy because I used to be a runner and I’m going to RUN again if it’s the last thing I do. These drugs have ruined some of my most precious relationships, some great jobs and even led me to losing my home. So, I’ve decided that I am going to climb my way back to the top inch by inch but I am going to do it. I’m tired of having a pity party for myself, I’m alone because I pushed everyone that was important to me away so I could be alone with my meds and that warm comforting feeling they gave me. Count your blessings that you have a husband to coach you and cheer you on. Ask him to help you to be strong. Use this opportunity to quit cold turkey with the help of these natural remedies. If I can do this after being on my meds for a decade, anyone can! I used the Calm Support, DL-Phenylalanine, Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C, Benadryl (all purchased from Amazon) and a ton of water each day. And truthfully, I had two “really bad” days of restless leg and agitation and anxiety, the rest of the days were manageable. We as humans are built to be resilient beings, you can do this, you can transform your life and I believe you can “will” away some of your medical problems by not focusing on them and following an exercise program and good nutrition and the above mentioned supplements! Good luck and God bless!

I have been saying the same thing for years. Humans are extremely adaptable and resilient. Mind over matter. What we choose to believe will manifest in our lives. There is power in belief or faith if you will. That being said I also understand the struggle. I have chronic pain and severe ptsd and I am kicking an opiate addiction. I know however without a shadow of a doubt that I will heal and live a healthy happy life with out medication or addiction. I am starting Kratom tomorrow for the first time. With the spirit healing and self control I plan to later end my use of Kratom and all other medications. Think and believe positive. Imagine yourself whole and healed. Also, prayer works wonders. You are in my thoughts and prayers also.

best method for taking kratom powder i’ve found – use hot water from the faucet, doesn’t have to be boiling hot but say the hottest your faucet gets or close to that if that’s too warm to drink. dump your powder into this hot water and make sure the powder is evenly distributed across the top. let it sit for a few seconds and then pick the glass up and tap it on the table. it will start to fall down into the water and after another moment you can give it a swirl. then give it a few more swirls and it becomes an extremely easy solution to drink and chase with plain water. ‘toss and wash’ method is kind of poor in my opinion, a lot gets stuck in your mouth and very easy to get dry clumps, gross. this is like doing a shot of tea. works best in a tall glass. hope this helps someone!

So I was totally unsure of kratom but let me tell you, i am now 4 days of opiates after 4 years. I would never have made it this far without. Please, for the love of God, if you have to come off opiates you have to try this… YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!!

Matt – Nice article, but you really should update it to remove what you said about taking only kratom for 7-14 days. Pretty much everywhere else I’ve read, it says take kratom for 5-7 days.

I’m saying this because I switched to kratom after a long taper off norco and morphine. I stopped taking kratom after 14 days and my withdrawal symtoms have been bad enough that I’m thinking that I should have just stuck with the taper. RLS and anxiety have been horrible.

I wish I could take the calm support stuff, but I can’t due to sensitivities that I have to what’s in it.

Hi Matt, I found the information here extremely helpful. I’ve got all items on your list & getting ready to start detoxing with Kratum & co. tomorrow. I was just wondering how long I should wait after I do my last dose (of heroin) before I start the Kratum. Should I wait for signs of withdrawal or prior to them. Like how many hours should I wait? Also I tried but failed miserably trying to wean down. Been doing approx $100. say (5 doses/caps), so I plan on starting at 8 gramscif Red Bali. I am so looking forward to a life without opiates. I was in methadone for years but a few months ago I relapsed after I lost my Methadone script-for having a dirty UA, ( dirty with Soma of all things). Thank you so much for all the great information! Francie

I’m on day 3 of kratom 10 grams 3 times daily and day 4 of no suboxone. I was on hydrocodone/oxycodone/methadone however many I could get daily for a while and tapered my self to 1/64 of a 8mg strip of suboxone 3 times daily for about 3 months and messed up and went to a quarter every other day for about a week and heard about kratom. I’m wondering if taking kratom to get off suboxone is like taking hydrocodone to get off oxycodone or like when I used suboxone to get off of painkillers. for me in the past once I lowered myself down on the suboxone if I could get to day 5 or 6 clean then no more withdrawls. now that I’m using the kratom if I get to day 5 or 6 and stop taking kratom will it be like the past and no w/d or what should I be expecting

I take 4-5 #5’s perks a day, depending on the day. anyways so ready to get off these for good! I do have Fibromyalgia and sle , but these pills are running my life. I want off the merry -go- round. Of running out, where to get them etc. I tried to post last night, i apologize I hit send to soon before I edited and finished! Anyways I just took my last one 1/2 hour ago, so that was 5 already today. I guess my question would be, how long before I can take the Kratom ? After a pain pill.(and like does the amount mater) I bought some Maeng Da in powder form. I am scared to death of the withdraws . I have severe panic attacks, so of course my mind makes it worse! I am so ready and want to stay off these pills for GOOD! This site was such a blessing to find. It is wonderful and I am loving the success stories!

Congrats on being done with oxycodone! I’m very excited for you! And with kratom there is no need to worry about timing. If you were to take burprenorphine, the main ingredient in Suboxone and Subutex, you would have to carefully wait until the right time to take it after your last oxycodone pill.

However, kratom will not put a person into precipitated withdrawal ever. If it were me, I would take kratom as soon you feel the effects of the pill have gone away. I’m so happy to hear that you have enjoyed this site. 🙂

Hello, I have a large opiate habit, lets call it huge. I have subutex and suboxone. i also have Kratom. I have one week off work, seven days. My question is can I use kratom and subutex to get off opiates. I understand the risks of sub, I’ve been on it before. i also have loperamide. and some other vitamins. Thanks for your help. AW

I am on suboxone and tapered down to about .25-.35mgs and my last dose is this friday. I been on the suboxone for 4 months (highest dose being 4mgs for 1 month)…prior i was on methadone for 5 years. I am taking 10 days off work, i am hoping that will be enough time to get through the worst. I have clonidine from doctor and flexeril. I also have kratom…but my fear is that it will just hold off on the withdrawals. If i take it just once or twice during those 10 days for sleep or just one day if i feel like i need a break, would it set me back in my withdrawal?

Sorry I posted this in a reply1st because I’m on my cell phone and didn’t realize the comment section was 10 mins of finger swiping to the bottom.

Hi, i’ve been dabbling in opiates for the last 20 years and has become a problem for the last 10. I’ve tried just about every method from cold turkey to ibogaine. Last time I detoxed was around June 2016. My habit was about 12-20 (30mg) oxy daily. I jumped to Subutex, tapered from 8mg daily to .25mg (not fun… anxiety no sleep etc…) I read about Kratom for years and never tried it until then. OMG. I bought a little packet from the corner store which had about 20 or so capsule in there. I thought each one was 6mg… figured out later The whole packet equaled 6mg. I think I Took four capsules and it definitely took the edge off and gave me a little more energy. I did some more research and then ordered a couple ounces off of the Internet. I took about 8mg 2x daily and felt absolutely amazing. I had energy, no aniety and could sleep. Only real downfall is it taste like the inside of a hobos pocket. I suggest poring a half glass of chocolate milk (I use chocolate almond milk), dump the Kratom on top and mix it, plug your nose, down it and then rinse your mouth. Don’t put the Kratom in the glass first because it sticks to the bottom. Anyway…. did that till October and then relapsed. Ive been taking about 30-36 (30mg) oxy daily for about 4-5 months now. I’m on the 3rd week of my 6 week taper plan and I’m down to 3 (30mg) a day. I take 3-6mg of Kratom when the anxiety and other w/d symptoms get too bad. My plan it to taper off the oxy onto Kratom and I want to get the Probufine implant.

I was woundering if you have to wait the 24 hours (or till withdrawal starts kicking in) to take Subutex if you’re currently using Kratom…. like you have to do with Oxy? I don’t want to throw myself into precipitated withdrawal like I’ve done in the past from taking Subutex too soon after oxy.

Side note…. Kratom is habit forming and if on it too long can cause some pretty nasty withdrawal (from what I hear). So be careful and have a taper plan to get off the Kratom.

Ohhhh I also read that the gov is allowing testing of Kratom to be synthesized in to pain medication.

Thanks for writing all this amazing info. Best one I’ve read in a while. 🙂

Dear Mr. Finch, Thank you soooo… much for this page! You helped me more than you’ll ever know! 10 years on Oxycodone & OxyContin (210mg – Up to 250mg per day) due to a “botched” gallbladder removal surgery. To make things worse… the biopsy of the gallbladder that was removed showed it was completely healthy and that I did not have gallstones like the surgeon had previously informed me! I was ready to get my life back and stop taking the pills… I was about to go on Suboxone until a friend of a friend told me about Kratom. I came across your page in withdrawal mode (from tapering off of 120mg of OxyContin for one week, but taking 90mg of Oxycodone) while researching Kratom! I read through your articles, one after another, and some I even read two or three times! I followed your regimen using Kratom and Calm Support! I have to say thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been free from the pills for 7 days and went back to work on day 6! I am still following your regimen and am so thankful for your site! I truly appreciate all of your hard work! Thank you! 😬

I’m trying to get off of a 40 to 50 mg. Roxi habit, I’m really interested in Kradom, do I have to be completely off Roxi’s before I begin the Kratom and how much do you suggest I take and what kind, I have severe depression and I take an antidepressant called Viibryd- 40mg.s a day, Please help me I’ve tried all kinds of ‘home remedies” to no avail! I really appreciate any help you can give me.

Hi Kathy, I had a 90mg habit of Oxytocin. The best Kratom for this is Maeg Da Red. I would start of with a Full tablespoon of it on a empty stomach with some Grapefruit juice. Wait 45 minutes to see how you feel and if your not feeling better take another teaspoonful. Everybody is different on how much Kratom is good for them so you have to play around with to find the right dose for you. Now if after taking it and you light headed and nauseous you have taking to much. If this happens drinks lots of water and try to relax. You might vomit, but you will be fine. I’m also on depressant. I take Lexapro. The Kratom does not affect my medicine. Kratom also helps with pain, depression and anxiety. Plus if you read all of Matt’s information on ‘How to use Kratom for opiate withdrawals’ it would really give you a step by step Tutorial. Best of luck to you God Bless

Hi, and thank you for the info, now…should I try this while I’m tapering or should I do it CT, I’m so nervous, I’ve been trying to taper off but the depression kicks in big time and I go off track again! But I’m tired of this merry go round and I want OFF it! Thanks for any help you can give me. 🙂

You’re truly welcome. It is not a good idea to do kratom and opiates together. Not saying you can’t but I feel you should not. I took Kratom the very first day I stopped taking my oxy. I seriously had no withdrawals symptoms at all. Also kratom truly helps with depression. I have very bad depression, anxiety and chronic insomnia. Kratom has help me through all this. But remember everybody is different and with kratom you need to play with to find which strain works for you and how much you need to take the withdrawals away. But also you need to truly have that mind set that you really and truly our ready to get off of opiates. My friend was tapering off of 120mg of oxy and he used Kratom with the oxy as his daily dose got lower. He would take a half of teaspoon each time the withdrawals hit him. He said it made it easier for him. So I guess some people do kratom while there tapering. Like I said everybody is different. So just be careful okay. I hope to hear back from you. God Bless you Best of luck.

I have been an opiate user since 2003. It started with a bottle of 20 5mg Oxy’s that lasted over 4 years. Then I re-injured my back and I naively convinced my Orthopedic surgeon I needed a higher dose. I bumped up to 20mg oxy’s twice a day. That had me knocked on my ass all day but I liked it. Not only was my pain gone but I felt better than I ever had. I have never done anything “bad” in my life. No drugs, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke. I was an athlete. I had straight A’s. One of my idiot roomates dared me to snort one, as at the time Oxy was getting a lot of press for people abusing it. I took him up. I freaking loved it. That’s when it all started to go down hill. Fast forward to today. I have climbed the ladder of opiate potency to the very top (at least what I think is the very top, I may be wrong, as I’ve never tried heroin) I am now prescribed 150 mcg Fentanyl patch every 2 days. I of course don’t use as directed. I cut them up and put them under my tongue. That being said I don’t go over my daily amount, and I’ve never purchased drugs illegally. Just a long stream of doctors willing to give me drugs. I am now 34, married, a 6 yr old and a baby due in April. I want to get off of this crap so badly. I can request to try and taper down, methadone, suboxone. I k now I can’t do cold turkey. Last year I was traveling back home with my family from vacation. I had only brought enough of my medicine to last me the exact amount of time I was goign to be away from home. (bad idea) As the universe will do, it screwed me. Flights were delayed, I didn’t get home until abotu 12 hours past scheduled time. I was so sick that I could barely move. On the last flight I took about 15 gravol (dramamine) in Canada to knock myself out. I was in so much pain and so sick. If I didn’t have more meds at home I would have done something really stupid to make the pain stop. Long story short is this. i want to believe so badly that the kratom will work for me. Given the extremely high dose I’m on how much would I need to start with? I was going to make capsules out of the powder when it comes. does this seem like a good idea? Any comments or help is greatly appreciated

Hi Charlie, Glad to hear your ready to try Kratom. Making capsules is fine but you need a weight the amount your putting in each capsule. Reason is you can get sick taking to much Kratom. Everybody is different some people do good in low doses for opiate withdrawal and some need higher doses. I use a level teaspoon full three times a day and it has worked wonders for me. I do toss and wash, which is just putting the kratom powder on a teaspoon and putting it in my mouth then drinking something sweet to wash it down with. There are many ways to take kratom, just google it.. I wish you the best of luck also Kratom will help but you also have to have the mind set that you truly want to stop using opiates.

Good luck Charlie. I have 48 years of addiction with brief periods of clean time. Kratom is an awesome thing and I wish I knew about it years ago. Try NA meetings to compliment the Kratom and don’t let them tell you using Kratom isn’t doing it naturally. It’s about YOU getting and staying clean.

Kratom has been awesome for sure, however I recently found it is increasing my already hypertensive blood pressure by a full 20 points ( both diastolic and systolic) …or it is interfering with the ability of my BP meds to do their job…i confirmed this by stopping it for a few days…and it dropped and held. The worst part is now my Renal doctor is refusing to treat me because of the Kratom… and I guess he has a point. I was thinking it might be the stimulating aspect of kratom, but I only use the slow strains (reds)…but it still may raise BP. Here is an area where I feel the FDA study may shed some light. Frankly, I feel this forces me to discontinue Kratom and go back on opiates. Its just ludicrous to live in a hypertensive crisis area of 200/130 BP all the time, just more or less waiting to have a major stroke or heart attack! I was so bummed when I confirmed this. My Specialty Doc considers me a rogue patient now and gives me the respect of a fucking stray dog. Fucking punk kid Doc, with a massive ego well beyond his 20 something years! He told me I need a kidney biopsy, but no hospital will touch me with BP that high. Told me to call him when I wake the fuck up and throw that herbal shit in the garbage! Every young Doctor I have has seemed to have a great prejudice against older people. All the older Doctors are taken/booked, impossible to transfer. Many are ‘cash’ only…Yes , one of the privileges in living in PA ( a state with older people)…we have concierge and VIP service for the well-to-do and almost no one accepts Medicare…they just plain ole ‘OPT-OUT’. I’ve learned to despise the medical community sadly, when I need them the most. But this isn’t the medicine our generation grew up with…this is fee for service. All doctors look at your insurance before deciding how long to spend with you…If its Medicare, its 5 minutes and it better not be complex. Appointments routinely are arranged some 4 to 6 months ahead of time due to demand. Its no wonder people would rather just die. Hope you’re not dealing with any of these juggernauts, Irv.

Lastly, NA isn’t my thing, but might work for some but NA won’t approve of kratom, suboxone, or methadone use which i find to be pretty stiff. There are other superior programs to Bill W’s ancient mentality and incidious 12 step programs that have a 5% success rating…yeah…GO BILL !!! lol, damn!…. so I would advise seaking these new programs out in your area. You won’t catch me dead at any AA/NA program, although you may catch me dead any day now if I don’t change what I am doing….Peace….

You are so right about having Medicare for your insurance. I. I’m going through the same thing, Doctor’s out here in Oregon suck especially if you have Medicare or any government insurance. I do Thank God for Kratom because I am finally able to be pain free and Opiate Free. I finally got my life back. Also I’m truly sorry that Kratom rises your blood pressure, but Kratom effects every body differently. Because I have high blood pressure and I’m on blood pressure medication and I have no problem. I take 3-4 teaspoon full three times a day. Best of luck to you.

Wow Fred! I empathize 100%. It’s Not much diff here in Klamath Falls, Oregon. A lot of homeless so the wait is long and there’s very few docs who have openings. My Medicare costs a fricken fortune and honestly! I gave up. I have prostate issues, I “think” I got rid of hep-c but I can’t afford the blood test (my 20%) to verify. I’ve been on Methadone maint for 15 years and the ONLY reason I’m slowly detoxing is I now have to drive 500 miles round trip once a Month. I have a lot of Kratom in case our effed Gov screws me in that issue. I’d stay on it till death if I could because it works for me. I had no idea Kratom could increase BP. I do take lisinopril and I have 30 days left. I have to find someone to write it. Doctors, all of them hate herbals. I don’t get it except doctors get kick backs for writing RX. Once again the doctors oath to help people is bullshit eh? I’m sorry! Don’t feel alone if it’s any help. I’ll be 64 in March, I worked literally 50 years and I work 3-4 hrs a day now. The Gov doesn’t care if you bought the White House. We’re just old POS to them and they would be happier if we were dead. I voted For Trump because he said he would fix Medicare and push up SS. We shall see! God Bless you my brother.

Hi Matt, I am 31 and have been in cronic pain from a severe car accident 11 years ago. In the last decade I have tried over 37 different medications, everything from morphine to diladid, I even get 14 nerve block needles every month. I have been on a fast acting 20mg oxy, 120mg per day, plus 1200mg of gabapentin for the last 3 years now. I became so physically dependant that the mental and physical repercussions were horrific and the withdrawal seemed impossible!! I honestly thought that I would never be rid of this demon. After repeatedly asking my doctor to help ween me off and him basically refusing stating that “this is the first thing that’s worked a little bit, let’s not change it now”. I became so frustrated that 3 days ago I decided to quit cold turkey on my own, with my mom’s help. She’s been my rock. But after much research I finally came across ur page. I just took my first drink of kratom and already I am feeling at least 70% better!! You are a lifesaver Mister!! And I can’t understand why more people aren’t being offered this help and information. I’ll definitely spread the word. Thank you so much!!!!

The reason more people aren’t offered Kratom is Simple. Big Pharma. They, the Govt and the world don’t care about anyone’s suffering. They do care about money and that’s ALL! I wish you the best of luck Sir.

Hey Matt, thank you so much for this guide! Someone told me about kratom to get off heroin, and I happened to come across your article. This stuff is no joke! 15 minutes after I took it, I was already feeling better. Today is day three and I haven’t felt sick at all, aside from a little runny nose. Cravings are gone, all the muscle spasms and pain are gone! No need for subutex or suboxone! I have some Maeng Da and Bali and the only side effect I’ve had from the Maeng Da is a little jittery like drinking too much coffee (I did take quite a lot of it – probably 20g). Please keep getting the word out there about kratom. And thank you again!

David Kratom is amazing, can I ask which strain your taking? Because if your doing the Maeg Da White strain that is the one that is mostly for energy and taking in large amounts will make you jitter. If you have any questions feel free to ask me I Have studied everything possible about Kratom and there strains. It also helped me get off Opiates. Best of luck to you and keep up the good work.

Hi Castle Just perusing through the comments moments and saw that you have done your homework so I’m going to ask you what I should do, I’m in a complicated situation. Before I waste my time telling you my current situation I’m going to send this and hope for a response. Thank you

You are so welcome for this guide! Glad you felt better after just 15 minutes WOW!!! I feel the same way about kratom. It is a lifesaver and it’s natural…powerful…affordable…just the bomb. Thanks for the feedback and dropping a comment. Wish you the best!

Hey I am on day seven off of Suboxone. I have used kratom with withdrawal. The six day was a big difference in symptoms I did not consume kratom instead I used gabapentin. Day 7 my headache is worse,dirreah kicked in and I feel worse than day 6. I’m curious if I dose with kratom again is it going to prolong my Suboxone withdrawl? I cannot find info about this anywhere.

Whenever you use kratom that means you still have an opioid in your system, however, from most people’s experience, this natural opioid plant “soothes” the receptors and allows a smoother transition from pharmaceutical opioids. Gabapentin is actually my favorite med for withdrawal and I encourage you to read this article on it:

So to sum things up…yes, kratom occupies the receptors but taken in low doses, then tapered off, most people say it is much easier than coming straight off stronger opioids. Especially when they use nutrition, supplements, diet, etc.

Matt, can you please tell me how to wean off of kratom, I used it to get off of opiates now if I don’t use it my whole body aches I’m using one ounce every three days I take three leveled teaspoos a day. Please help

I sure can. When it was supposed to become illegal for the entire U.S. in September, I prepared by making a free video to help people come off kratom. Luckily kratom is still legal in most states and cities. Here is the free webinar for you and anyone else who wishes to check it out:

Yes you just taper. Tapering is systemically lowering your dosage over a period of time. For instance, one could take 6 grams three times a day for a week, then 4 grams 3 times daily for a week, then 2 grams, etc.

There are many ways to taper, fast, medium, and slow. The best way to reduce symptoms is to taper slowly, so your body has time to adjust to the lower dosages.

I have been on suboxone 8mg/2mg for approximately 5 months, and have tried to quit and taper several times. There was no “major” withdrawal…however the exhaustion that I experienced was horrible. Thus…I am back on 1 strip of the 8mg/2mg a day. Today I looked up the taper chart and started taking 1/2 of the strip. According to the taper chart, I will be tapering for approximately 50 days. I just really want to be done with this. It is more than a monkey on my back. However, even though the only withdrawal, thus far that I have experienced, is the exhaustion. I can’t be exhausted on a daily basis because I have 2 children, a husband a home and I run a small business and HAVE to work every day…7 days a week. I have been trying to research kratcom for several months now, and then stumbled across this forum. As far as I can tell, kratcom is still legal in Pennsylvania, but I cannot find it. Any suggestions on where to go? I have been fighting the addiction battle for over 10 years…due to prescription drugs, and then fell into the heroin epidemic for a very short time, and I DON’T want to turn back now!! I have come too far!! Scared, but really want all of this to be nothing more than a really bad memory. Our financial situation is diminishing for a lot of reasons…mainly because before getting on suboxone…last summer I spent $6000.00 on heroin…in less than 2 months. I am really scared and just want to be done!! Please help….I am almost half way there….and I want to finish this before we get too far into the new year. THANK YOU!

I don’t know what’s going on with me…. I was addicted to tianeptine for two years in large amounts. The WD was so scary and unbearable I thought I’d be on it forever. However I managed to taper off of it about a week and a half ago. I did this with gabapentin and around day 4 or 5 off of Tianeptine my Kratom came in. I was still having mental and some mild physical WD side effects from the Tianeptine and so I took a spoonful of Kratom and felt finally NORMAL after weeks of tapering and quitting Tianeptine. I have taken a spoonful or two every day since getting it (not even a week) only when I feel RLS or anxiety. Now at a week and a half of Tianeptine (which has a short half life) I notice I am still experiencing WD symptoms (sneezing, RLS, muscle aches, anxiety, etc.) but I noticed after I take Kratom they go away. My WD symptoms seem to be worsening instead of getting better, especially when I try to not take Kratom…. I think now that the WD symptoms are from Kratom as the Tianeptine WD symptoms should be gone due to its short half life… please tell me I didn’t just trade one WD for another?! I have barely been taking much at all and for such a short time. But I can’t seem to go a full day without it or I’ll be in WD… is it residual Tianeptine WD since I took it for so long or am I creating a new problem? If so I’d like to jump off Kratom as quickly as possible as I already know the longer you take something the worse it gets. Any ideas? Any recommendation for getting of Kratom?

What will happen if you only start taking CalmSupport 5 days before coming off Suboxone, but you still take Kratom? Will you elaborate with more details? You say it’s VERY IMPORTANT to take seven days before coming off. Do you have any idea what a few days difference could make in the benefits you receive from this supplement? I just purchased CalmSupport for my friend who only has a five day supply left. I am eager to find out what the difference will be for him. Opiate addiction sounds horrible, and I can only imagine what all of you are going through. I hate to see someone go through this, and I would especially hate to see my friend not succeed in kicking this crap.

Not to burst your bubble but kicking it is actually the easy part. It’s staying clean. I am not proud but I’ve been in this nightmare 48 years. I’ve kicked so many times I’ve lost count. It’s never easy but in comparison a week to a month of sick is nothing compared to a lifetime of battling a monster always nawing at you. Good luck.

I got off everything using Suboxone which was literally hell to discontinue, but my pain came back in droves and even worse, I was marginally functional both mentally and physically, and 5 months later I went back on Percocet. It did start causing me problems even at a relatively low dose taken as directed so I left the pain practice for Kratom. Now, however, I am stuck on Kratom. I do need pain relief, however, and it does help my anxiety and depression so I’m going to try not to look at this so much as a dependence and more so as a medicine for my ailments ( as Mary suggested). I just hate dependency on anything. But , as you say, it seems we are forever vulnerable to relapse. With Kratom, however, I never think or crave opiates. I read somewhere that this has to do with its greater activity at the delta receptor than most synthetics which are primarily at the mu receptor.

Hope you’re making progress, Irv. Keep us updated and wishing you all the best!

Kratomm seriously is the best, I used it for two weeks and had absolutely no opiate withdrawals at all. I used miag da red and green Bali. I recommend this to anyone who is truly trying to get off opiates.

Green Bali is GREAT for right before bedtime. I don’t get the RLS symptoms and most times I can sleep 6-8 hours, when I use that one before bed. I use the Maeng Da for daytime, which tames down the symptoms, like sweating, nausea, eye watering, nose running, yawning, involuntary stretching, etc, while providing a little bit if energy. I am a 40 year old chronic pain patient with a myriad of painful diagnoses. I have been on pain medication for 7 years and am now going through a forced taper. Not that I don’t want to get away from the ball and chain of pain medication, I just didn’t know what I was going to do, having to live in severe pain after my taper is done. I began to think maybe it was better for me not to be here at all, if this was all life had in store for me. I have kids and a spouse. Some of my chronic pain issues prevent me from exercise, because my feet swell so badly that I can’t walk and they are EXCRUCIATINGLY painful. I also have had surgery on both of my knees because I have a connective tissue disorder. So yeah, exercise is out for me, because of the swelling (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, no cure) and the risk of spontaneously blowing a ligament from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. This is in addition to Degenerative Disc Disease (lumbar and cervical), fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis throughout my body and much, much more. I thought that the best course of action was to end my pain myself. I had heard of KRATOM before, but I was highly skeptical of it and thought it was something that people only used to get high on. Then I did some research into it. After much debate, I decided it was better to try it, having nothing to lose, than to continue thinking the way that I was. KRATOM LITERALLY SAVED MY LIFE. I hated the physical dependency. I hated the withdrawals, even without having the mental dependency to the pain medications. I had literally tried every other single therapy that was out there (like the chiropractor and physical therapy) before I went on the medications because I didn’t want to be on another medication. I did not, at the time I agreed to try it, realize how much of a burden the medications would become. I just wanted relief from being in severe pain, day in, day out. I got relief from the medications…..and the monster that physical dependency is. Now I am told to take OTC meds, some of which I can’t take and all of which provided no relief. I was literally at the end of my proverbial rope and in dire physical straits when I first tried KRATOM. The Maeng Da and the Green Bali are working wonders for me, which is why I replied to your comment, making a short story long I guess. I hope you don’t mind me telling my personal story in my reply as well. I do not mean to take away from your story, I was just excited when I saw that someone uses the same combo as me,lol! I know you can develop a KRATOM dependency also. I do use it daily, but I also take 3-4 days off from using it every couple of weeks. It works for my pain. It has helped me through the withdrawal that I am going through on my taper (I take oxycodone). I take the Maeng Da during the day, after I take the meds and when I start to feel the twinges of withdrawal from them no longer actively doing anything and the Green Bali at night, before I go to bed. It does wonders for me. I actually sleep. Something I haven’t done in a long time. Now I hear that there is talk if banning KRATOM based on it being present in the system of people that have used it with other drugs as well, in an OD. I think that’s WRONG!! I have read the stories of multiple people here and I see how much good it is doing for you all. I can attest to what it has done for me. And now they want to take it away, which means my last hope of pain control goes with it. I know a lot of people are saying “mind over matter” but when the more you do, your body (my hands also have the swelling issue) gets physically worse the more you do, what’s the solution? Anyway, I only meant to say that I am excited to see someone else having success with what I did. I hope I did not offend you by also posting my personal story on my reply to you and if I did, I apologize. I did not intend to take away what you had said, only add to it.

I used kratom to kick opiates and it worked great. I would recommend a more potent extract or liquid to get the job done, but i had a bad heroin addiction and a pretty high tolerance. Thanks for the post, kratom helps save lives.

I have Type 2 diabetes and take insulin after meals. Is there any conflict there? I am also on Opdivo, an immune boosting cancer treatment every other week…(it was the Cancer that got me started on oxycodone)….any conflict there?

Over 2 years ago I came off of High dose oxycodone (180mg/daily) with 100mcg fentanyl patch, using Suboxone and amino acid therapy. After several years, I reached a point in my pain management where the Opioids were simply not working anymore and causing me severe panic attacks and cognitive dysfunction. I told my doctor I wanted off. He really was against me coming off , but gave me 32 mg Suboxone to take daily (after the appropriate waiting period since last opiate dose). I did as directed and immediately had severe anxiety. I went back to him and said, I feel like I’m losing my mind. He said he never had a patient in his over 30 years of practicing pain management that had the symptoms I claimed and that Suboxone did not work for. Now treating me as though I was a Leper, he suggested i go to Detox/Rehab or go back on my other pain meds. Disgusted, I walked away from the practice. Did my own research, dropped the dose to 6 mg daily immediately, which became 4 mg/daily in a month ..then 2, then 1, then jumped after 9 months.

During that time I saw a Psychiatrist who Rx’d me XANAX XR (extended release) for my chronic anxiety. I was in the battle of my life during this time to literally save my brain, so my pain issues were hardly noticeable. ( must be the way the body prioritizes things)…Problem was after coming off everything, I never really felt right mentally and my chronic pain issues slowly returned after 5 months with a vengeance.

I then saw another doctor for pain injections and neurotomy procedures to burn nerves that send pain and was put back on Percocet. I really hated to go back on any opioid but my pain was so bad I could barely walk. After taking 30 mg Percocet daily for another 7 months, I noticed the same severe anxiety and cognitive function returning. I told the doctor I couldn’t take the immediate release meds, but he refused to give me any slow release type. Disgusted, after finding your site in a search and having heard of Kratom in chronic pain forums, I decided to try Kratom for pain. Kratom allowed me to instantly discontinue the Percocet and actually helped my pain just as well and for a longer duration. I stopped seeing this doctor because the nerve burns weren’t helping and I wanted no more opioids. But here is the rub….I do have chronic pain and continue to take the Kratom. It does work but if I try to stop it…pain returns as well as i get extreme anxiety and my brain becomes almost psychotic and dysfunctional. Same thing I experienced after coming off opioids before.. Does this mean my opioid receptors are permanently damaged?

I just don’t know…All I know is I tried your method for stopping the Kratom as indicated with calm support and supplements to no avail. I’m stuck on Kratom. But without Kratom, I do have chronic pain as well. Just not really sure what to do and refuse to go to any type of detox/rehab, for one, because I have real pain! and 2…I spent 24 hours in one once when I first decided to be done with opioids and it was a nightmare. I was treated like street scum, cavity searched on arrival, prison atmosphere, and they couldn’t manage critical medications I need for other medical conditions of Primary Aldosternism and hypertension. I walked out after 24 hours. At present, I do believe I am safer on Kratom than opioids and my pain and brain are controlled and I’m much more functional than I’ve been in years. The Kratom has also had great antidepressant effects for my refractory depression and allowed me to discontinue useless SSRI meds. I just hate that I remain dependent on a substance for mental and physical wellbeing. I know the medical community frowns on Kratom and it may well be banned soon nationwide so I worry everyday. Any suggestions? I’ve thought about seeing a Neurologist, but not sure they can help me or of thats the right thing. I’m nearly 60 years old, and fear my receptors or endorphins cannot recover. I take a full compliment of appropriate amino-acid supplements for my known deficiencies daily but still feel stuck on Kratom. I’m afraid if I go to a doctor they will want to put me back on Suboxone or Methadone and I don’t want that! Am I a lost cause??..Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Of course you arent a lost cause. Kratom Is a wonderful plant and has allowed many to discontinue pain pills and heroin, as well as drugs for depression and anxiety. I’m glad that you are taking amino acids. Im amazed that many dont know of the value of taking them , especially for opiate addiction. Kratom is also little known by those in the addiction community. Yes, it can cause dependence, however when someone has had problems previously with opiates but they still suffer from chronic pain , I believe its better go natural than pharmaceutical. Many of us suffer from chronic pain but that shouldnt mean that we are just going to have to live in pain, reducing our quality of life. Kratom may also fit into a category of drugs called nootropics, another obsession of mine. Nootropic drugs are ones that enhance memory and other cognitive functions. Many of the amino acids fit into this category as well. Nootropics can be either prescriptive medications or ones that can be purchased otc and online. One that may be especially valuable for someone in your situation is called Bacopa. Bacopa is traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine for neurological and cognitive improvement. Indian texts dating back to the 6th century describe bacopa as sharpening intellect and reducing mental deficits. A double-blind study conducted in 2013 showed that Bacopa improved cognitive function and mood. It also showed to significantly reduce the amount or cortisol, which is the hormone associated with stress. The benefits of Bacopa are enhanced by adding L-theanine. Taking nootropics which trigger a dopamine release also produces an analgesic effect, so it makes sense to use them for pain relief, especially as they don’t carry the side-effects, notably depression and anxiety that many prescription pills do. I assume that you are already taking dopamine boosting supplements, but maybe you need to increase the amount or add another. L-tyrosine, L-dopa, DLPA and Mucuna Pruriens work well for dopamine production. “Stacking” a combination of dopamine producing aminos with Bacopa and L-theanine is chosen by many who deal with chronic pain and the associated anxiety that comes with it. Its so important to have a healthy diet, one that is high in protein and dark leafy greens. “Juicing” has become a popular choice to attain a healthy body but it also is extremely helpful for brain health. Magnesium and zinc have both been proven to aid in healing brain damage. Folic acid (b12) and other b vitamins are also very crucial. A good multivitamin should be taken. Incorporating Turkey, nuts & seeds, avacodos, spinach, kale, blueberries, Chamomile tea and dark chocolate into your diet will help reduce stress by giving your body the nutrients to improvethe brains neurotransmitters including Gaba & Acetylcholine levels as well as reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Let your focus be on pain relief instead of having a physical dependence on something which inevitably improves the quality of your life. Become proactive in your health, both the health of your body and the health of your brain. Doing things like exercise, yoga and meditation can greatly improve both your mood and pain levels.

Good luck my friend, I happen to live with daily chronic pain myself. Once I settled down and decided to give up my obsessive thoughts that had me hating being dependent on something, I was able to start doing things like improving my diet, taking the right amino acids and other nutrients, exercising & yoga, and even meditation (Which I thought was only for “hippie types”- which I am not). When pain involves the back, like mine, building my core muscles was so important and yoga helps with this. The hardest thing for me to do was to give up soda, because thats something else that I was addicted to. lol But excess sugar made many of the nutrients that I was using almost useless since sugar reduces their benefits. I still live with some pain, but its nowhere near what it was! I hope the same for you.

~MARY OAS RECOVERY SPECIALIST

*Disclaimer- recommendations made here are not to be considered medical advice. Please speak with your Dr before starting any supplements, medications, exercise regime or changes in your diet. Follow Dr’s advice.

This post truly helped me I’m using kratom to help with my chronic pain and stop using opiates this morning I got scared because I was out of kratom and felt some withdrawal symptoms, so I was like okay now I’m addicted to kratom, but reading your article showed me that it is a natural pain reliever also helps with my depression and anxiety. Thank you for this article now I’m going to start to not think about my pain and to not think I’m addicted I been using Kratom for a month now. It has done wonders for me. I have been pain free and not depressed or suicidal thoughts at all. I’m also going to start to try yoga my son is a yoga instructor and Russian kettlebell instructor plus a personal trainer. Just need to not think of the pain and do this. Thank you

It’s a natural painkiller, antidepressant, muscle relaxer, mood enhancer, and I know many people that use it instead of opiates or psych meds. Lots of people use it short-term to transition off opiates, and some use it longer, then have a bit of a time getting off, but nobody has ever said it was worse than being on harder drugs. Thanks so much for you feedback and contribution to this forum. I’ve been used the kettlebell lately at the gym and I love it by the way. 🙂

Tianeptine is very helpful when tapering and detoxing. It’s used in South America and Europe as a anti depression drug. It’s very powerful as a Serotonin reuptake drug. You can buy online because it’s not for human consumption but a lot of drugs they say the same. I figure once big pharma sees huge profits and pays off the Gov then doctors will prescribe it.

Its Stablon and gets good reviews as an SSRE ( a Tricyclic type), and alternative to the limited SSRI’s, SNRI’s meds that are so commonly Rx’d and don’t work for a significant % of severely depressed people, myself included. Its dosage is quite small at 12.5 mg , 3x daily, so its very easy to take too much. Also taking larger dosages tends to have agonist activity at the mu receptor so this makes it a dangerous practice if abused. Having said that, there are some pretty positive reports of people using it as intended for depression/anxiety disorders that haven’t had success with other antidepressants. I am currently experimenting with it myself, but have some difficulty with not taking too much because of the opiate effect. Know however, that the opiate effect is brief and only occurs during the first few times. Chasing it could lead to all kinds of problems including, cardiac and respiratory issues as well as a nasty withdrawal profile so consider yourself warned.

Matt, that is great you like Kettlebell it’s amazing. I love working out now. Especially having me life back.. Also had a question if I decide to get off of Kratom and did it cold Turkey instead of weaning off it. How bad do you think the withdrawals would be if I only been using it for a little over a month and three teaspoons a day? I also switch up my kratom every three days. It’s good to do that so you don’t get a tolerance to it. I have Tried Red, Green, White and Gold strains. My favorite is the Red and Green Vein. The White gives to much energy and the Gold is to sedating. But the green is just right. The red is amazing I started with that on my first day of withdrawals. I never take any after 4pm because you won’t get no sleep at night. I have felt no withdrawal and sleep great.

If I were in your position and didn’t taper the kratom, I would come off kratom cold-turkey with either the vitamin C mega-dose protocol, or the loperamide high-dose protocol, followed by the post-acute withdrawal syndrome protocol. I’ll put links to these articles below:

Thanks so much for your August reply, and I apologize it took me so long to find it and to reply myself. Your response was very thoughtful and comprehensive and it helped me to realize just how much I dun myself for becoming dependent and how I’ve spent the last 3 years trying to rid myself of this dependency all the while suffering in pain. Its really quite insidious. I mean, if I have real pain, addict or no addict, I deserve to treat it. Somehow, I lost that reasoning in the shuffle.

Between doctors becoming more hesitant, the wry judgmental looks or refusals from pharmacists, and the overall atmosphere surrounding opiate use since the CSA and DEA have clamped down in recent years its no wonder. I truly felt like an addict every time i got a Rx filled, and truth be told, I suffer from Refractory Major Depressive disorder with severe anxiety most of my life, so, initially , the antidepressant effects of the opiates were a bonus in my pain management. To me, it was like these were the antidepressants that REALLY worked! Problem is, as we all know, with time, that effect diminshes and I got caught up in chasing it to the point where I depleted my dopamine to such low levels, I was in a constant fog with severe anhedonia. I also felt I was developing hyperalgesia. I knew I had to get off. At that time, it was imperative that I stop opiates and god-willing, I did, and on my own! However, the long term damage was already done and I alienated a lot of important ppl in the process and ended up with some bad stuff in my medical records.

Anyways, I don’t want to rehash my story again, but I did use a variety of amino acids to bring myself back from the brink. But now with life long hypertension that has of late been virtually impossible to control and my kidney function deteriorating as a result, I have become more and more suspect that my rather heavy Kratom use is the culprit( have been taking it daily 7 months now). My kidney protein levels have never been higher and my doctor doesn’t know what to do. I haven’t told him about my Kratom use, but it seems in my best interest to do so although he will just tell me to stop that immediately like he did with my vaping using nicotine use. I love how they think people can ‘just stop’. I feel like less of a person when I cannot comply, but dammit, I am not perfect and these young doctors live in an idealistic world where patients should be perfect or they don’t really want to help them. I have cut back on the nicotine, using nicotine-free vapes, but the Kratom has been a problem. Frankly, I cannot live with out. So, I am looking at going back on opiate pain medication which I fear will 1) not be given enough to adequately manage my pain and receptor issues or 2) ramp up my very sensitive receptors to where I start craving the opiates again or 3) they just tell me to hit the road once they hear I have been using Kratom to manage my pain.

The best part about Kratom, is there is no crazy cravings that one seems to get with the synthetic opiates. The down side is, its unknown side effects, and it being a partial agonist it has weak binding affinity for receptors. It has affected my eating habits in a large way. If i eat even just a moderate meal, its as if the Kratom agonists are ripped off the receptors and I suffer excruciating pain after eating..literally, all my pain issues come back ( i’m not referring to indigestion here). This is consistent and pervasive. From an opiate standpoint, maybe if I was put on something other than oxycodone it would be different, but I’m sure you can see why I worry and have procrastinated on this decision to return to pain mgmt.

I will definitely look into the bacopa as an add-on supplement and ty for this suggestion, but recently have cut back on almost all supplements because of uncontrolled hypertension. Sadly that includes very helpful ones like DLPA, tyrosine and mucana pruriens known to aggravate high blood pressure.

Thanks for your response that gave merit to being a ‘human being’ and of looking at things from a pain perspective rather than an addiction/dependency one. I just hope any pain manager I may deal with can realize the same. I have walked away from 3 already. Never failed a urine tests or pill management, just they wouldn’t listen to my complaints and input i.e. they just always seemed to judge me as an addict with intent to redirect management towards a goal of of more euphoria. Hell, I’m way to far along for that anymore. I don’t even get euphoria anymore (unless pain relief qualifies). I’d have to take incredible doses for that to happen and what seems to happen now with higher doses is cognitive dysfunction(funny how the brain changes), and I have first hand experience now how devasting that is.

To close, so I find myself at a crossroads again. The Kratom just isn’t cutting it for pain anymore, effecting my ability to eat, and perhaps causing adverse blood pressure and kidney issues. So, I’m seriously considering a return to limited opiate use using only extended release formulations that i believe are the safest for receptors. Its the up/down receptor effect of IR meds thats tends to get people in trouble, at least based on my understanding and experience.

Thanks again, sorry this is so late, and any other thoughts you have would be much appreciated,

Mary, Sorry my reply is so long, I didn’t realize it till i posted it. I’m working on being more concise, especially on this site that gets so many hits. My apologizes and hope you have the patience to read it through.

My best suggestion thus far would be to get a “blender bottle” the kind you mix protein shakes in, for mixing the kratom powder with juice, works like a gem! Makes mixing it so much easier. You can get one from walmart for like $5. As far as kratom, I am loving it!!!! Its working for me! THis webpage has literally just saved my life! thank you!

I am currently using Kratom maeng da for my withdrawls (heroin, then morphine). I did use the taper method prior to taking kratom. ISince the person taking this medication was NOT going through withdrawls while taking kratom. DO NOT TAKE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. It will cause you to vomit. For someone whos trying to stop, getting the most absorbstion really shouldn’t be your main concern. I’m just happy I dont have the chills, no RLS, and can sleep at night with out nausea. So please eat something! But be careful not to eat much after taking it because it can also make you throw up.

I can’t seem to come off the last sliver of suboxone. I have tried kratom from 2 different vendors with no help for withdrawing. I had most of my stomach removed about 5 years ago and the kratom only makes me sick after only 2g I have to wait 30 mins for more room that’s if I am not sick from it by then. How can I get off this suboxone crap with kratom without being miserable by either the kratom or withdrawal?

Im assuming that this “sliver” is from an 8mg strip of suboxone (8/2mg)? Of course a sliver is not the same size to everyone, so I would like to clarify something. Say you had a whole 8mg strip and you were to cut it up into 32 pieces that were all equal size. These individual pieces would each equal a dose of .25mg ( or 1/4 of 1mg ). Even at that low of a dose, many have trouble giving it up , especially without some withdrawal. Surely, the withdrawals are easier when the doses are much smaller, but still, withdrawal of any kind is hard to handle.

Now, about not being able to come of that “sliver”; There are some changes that people who are tapering Suboxone can make throughout their taper which helps make the problems they are experiencing less and less. A lot of these changes that Im referring to is to get your body and brain healthier by mending many of the health issues that developed over time, especially from long term drug use. Our brain chemistry has so much to do with addiction and the withdrawal symptoms that comes with stopping any opioid (suboxone too). Making these changes can really help people overcome many of the problems that they are dealing with and suffering through: 1. Make sure your diet is healthy! A. Get plenty of protein! (protein is a precursor to endorphins which are lacking when a person uses opiates. helping oneself begin to produce endorphins naturally can go a long way!) B. Include fresh fruits and vegs in your diet (many vitamins and nutrients provided in these foods are needed in order for the brain to produce the natural chemicals (neurotransmitters) that help us deal with many things like stress, sleep, energy, motivation, relaxation, and so much more!) C. Include dark leafy greens (these contain many essential vitamins and minerals that help synthesize neurotransmitters, helping with things like moods and anxiety) D. Include nuts and seeds (for the same reason as above) E. Give up sugary drinks and excess sugary foods!!**This actually might belong in the #1 spot because of the brains reaction to sugar and carbs** (Many of the nutrients that you are giving yourself though your diet or supplementation are not being properly absorbed by your body because of the sugar. For instance, if you are eating healthy and taking vitamins, but continuously drink sodas, many of the vitamins that you think your body is getting , are actually not being absorbed very well and instead excreted without your body getting the full benefit. Drinking sodas or having a diet high in carbs and sugar and also taking many vitamins that you have purchased, is almost like throwing your money down the toilet!)

2. Take a multi-vitamin

3. Start dlpa, l-dopa, l-tyrosine or mucuna pruriens. These amino acids are to help produce dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is low in almost all opiate addicts. Producing more dopamine will help fight many of the withdrawal feelings like: energy, rls, motivation, etc

4. You may want to consider also adding a Serotonin boosting amino acid *if you ARE NOT on an SSRI (Serotonin Selective Reuptake Inhibitor – certain antidepressants fall into this category) Serotonin (the brains natural antidepressant) is an amino acid that helps with anxiety,depression, moods, sleep, sexual desires, and more. Amino acids for this are 5htp & Tryptophan

5. Compile a “Withdrawal Kit” of different that help with withdrawal symptoms. This may include different :A. prescription medications (Clonidine being the most valuable, In my opinion, but others may be beneficial to you depending on the severity of your symptoms. There are ones that will help with RLS, anxiety, and sleep) B. OTC medications ( Immodium, Benadryl, Hylands Restful Legs

7. Meditate!! Also produces Dopamine

8. Get PREOCCUPIED!! Find something that you enjoy and do it! Alot! (heres a piece of advice that your significant other will appreciate, I bet 🙂 ! HAVE SEX! This is also a great (and fun, fullfilling, enjoyable,….ok, ill stop before I start sounding like a pervert….LOL) way to naturally produce Dopamine/Endorphins!

Just know that YOU CAN DO THIS!! Join the group I suggested and you will see how others have done it, and meet many more who are in the same situation that you are. We are some members’ only form of support and would love to include you in our “family”.

~Mary OAS Recovery Specialist

*Disclaimer- Suggestions for medications, herbs, supplements, diet and exercise are not to be considered medical advice. Please speak to your Dr before starting any of these and follow the advice from your Dr.

I feel you and your situation. All I can offer is some suggestions and perhaps hope. I have chronic pain too, and am on a pain med but my doc has a mental condition I think. He acts like a drug dealer and goes on power trips. But I can’t quit the hydrocodone because of my pain issue. And I don’t know if kraytom will work for me except maybe temporary to get off the hydro. Now I don’t have problems with carvings, just pain. And the pain is ferocious. So I don’t think i’ll ever be free….and live in an unlucky time to just resign myself to take pain meds and cope. But your situation…..yes I think your receptors can be healed and functional again. But it might take long term supplements. DPLP and DPA and 5-HTP are all supplements specifically for brain neurotransmitters. I think you can also get the GABA supplement (basically gavapentin /neurontin). Those are replacement nutrient ‘hormones’ your brain needs. Many people used those nutrients to help with declining brain function as we age. Now if you REALLY want to get off everything, speaking if your receptors are working, likely they are (or you’d be dead). But don’t fret about the mentality to be ‘off ‘ something. When people get older we start looking for supplements to help with the inevitable aging process. And not just the afore mentioned supplements, but always taking 2 mg of C, a high dose B complex. Making sure your thyroid and B 12 levels are right. I have notice sometime people with addiction problems thing everything is related to or a consequence of, addiction. But older people who never had a problem their whole lives take these supplements due to aging. Vitamin E is important and so are your essential fatty acids. I found the vegetable based ones better than fish oil and I think it’s because fish are so polluted now. Olive oil, flax seed oil. And don’t forget COQ10 (walmart) at about 200-400mg/day and it won’t hurt you or interfere with any meds. It increase the oxygen uptake of all tissues, it increases micro-circulation. This is essential to deliver nutrients which are the building blocks of repair. They can’t fix anything if they can’t get there. The fatty acids are absolutely essential to build and protect the nerves and brain. Then there’s another avenue to use in conjunction with good supplements. A great diet. Plant based with whatever else your body needs, like eggs or red meat or chicken. Eat only that which has to be cooked or can be eaten raw. Some people also do a juice fast like once a week, or for a few days at a time, fasting seems to reboot the body and cause all systems to work right. What it does is detoxify. And there’s a lot more to detox than drugs. Medicines that leave by products of metabolism, a lifetime of eating crappy foods which are now largely poisoned. Spring water not tap water. Once your body becomes a bit ‘cleaner’ from life, once you have boosted your circulation (adding cayanne pepper which doesn’t cause heartburn helps alot) use lots of ginger, hot spices, garlic….whatever you like or can manage….all enhance circulation but nothing like the COQ10 I mentioned….and in turn when your micro circulation is improved it can deliver all the rebuilding nutrients to where they need to go. Now about kraytom. I wouldn’t worry about ‘being dependent’ on it. Many people have said over time they find they can decrease the dose with the same effects but it depends on why you’re taking it. Often, drug addiction is a coping mechanism to handle depression and anxiety. So this might be very good news to you. The white and green starins help the most with this. The red is mostly for pain. So even though you have a pain issue, you could try blending (you’ll have to do a little experimenting) the red along with the white and green strains. Kraytom can be the thing that helps with both pain and depression and anxiety. I have heard many people mix strains and have success and I think a lot of that has to do with helping (about curing really) depression and anxiety. So assuming you can afford all this, I would start by delving into the kraytom and finding the right blend for you. In the meantime do alllll the supplements religiously. And the good diet. Exercise also releases endorphins, and if it releases endorphins that means your brain hormones or neurotransmitters are working and give them the nutrients they need and I feel confident a lot of healing will take place. Generally people don’t feel much improvement with diet etc for about 3 months. It steadily improves after that. You have to give your body time to repair. So I wouldn’t feel bad about ‘being on’ something. You can adjust your kraytom dose and mixture as time goes on. Go more if you’re suffering and when feeling good, a bit less. Likely you’d have to adjust your blend too. You may find repair has taken place with the reason for the physical pain. You may find in the end you need it more for anxiety or depression rather than pain, or you may find as your health improves you need it more for a chronic pain condition and less for anxiety/depression. It depends on what your body’s true needs are. I will tell you this too. Most people trying to really vamp up their health by becoming vegan, all organic, and fasting feel like they are withdrawing from drugs as well. So be aware that toxins do build up in the body from everything we ever injested. Of course you don’t have to go purist and it’s like tapering off meds, you taper off bad foods gradually so you don’t get bad effects, but that usually only bothers people who go straight vegan and start fasting a lot. Did you know 75% of all people who are depressed also have a B vitamin deficiency or its at least on the low side? Something to think about. They did an experiment with healthy inmates without any problems. They specifically gave them diets deficient in B vitamins. All became depressed and anxious and many suicidal. Plus, there are herbs called ‘adaptogens’. These harmonize body functions. Don’t know how they do it but seems like if you have any point to weak or too strong they normalize all body functions. Ginseng is one. There are several others as well. They can be taken daily. All this together means yes, your body can heal from brain to toenail. It just has to have help of building blocks of nutrition, supplements, good food, and cleansing old toxins just from living. So…..there is hope in achieving what you strive for, nondependence and good function. Sometimes we have conditions we just have to live and deal with, like depression, anxiety, pain. People are diabetics and have to take meds, some have high blood pressure they have to take meds for, some will just have chronic pain, but most of that can be greatly reduced by becoming optimally healthy. Maybe you’ll need the boost of a cup of kraytom tea anyway for depression or nerves, maybe you’ll need a cup or two a day of kraytom for pain. Maybe other easier to get herbs will do you well instead of the kraytom. Chamomile tea can be bought at the grocery store and it’s a nervine and anti nausea. Mostly a cup at night to help you sleep, but if one had high anxiety problems it could be drunk everyday, two or three times a day. I guarantee you’ll feel sedated. So it might take time, it does for anyone going on a ‘health kick’. But I think you can become ‘free’ of feeling dependent on something like an actual drug, even kraytom herb. I know a lot of this is dancing around, it’s a lot of info and concepts, but I don’t think your receptors are ‘gone’ and there’s no hope. You can achieve maximum health and in the process correct many chemical imbalances of all sorts to achieve a better state of health and mind than most people. Also look into Qui Gong (chi gong) and tie chi or yoga. The body is a group of systems all doing different things and everything affects something else. So it’s about total balance. And time. You didn’t get this way overnight. Hope that helps.

Hard core? Lol not from subutex. It’s in your mind. Now try 15 bags of black, 8 100 mg morphine pills, 300 mg of Demerol, 120mg methadone, and 3 fentanyl patches 50mg everyday for 2 years. I had to get ambulanced to ER and was so bad I went in to cardiac arrest. Been an addict 48 years. I do subutex withdraws for fun. Lolol You’ll be fine!! Lolol

I would like to start by saying thank you matt finch! Finding your info has made what seemed impossible more than possible! i know what i want and i know how to get it! SUBOXONE FREE! i was wondering if i am masking the withdraws with the use of kratom or if the withdraws (90% of them at night insomnia, restless legs, arms, brain,) will begin to ease and i can just quit the kratom? this kratom is working very well! taking away the majority of the symptoms making it not just possible to eat and function well but you actually have a huge appetite and a decent energy level! i am taking alot of vitamins, eating very healthy and drinking half my body weight in ounces of water! i just dont want to stop this kratom in 2 to 3 weeks and still physically withdraw (the skin crawling and tremors..the worst part of it) for another two weeks! i would rather get it over with now and start my LIFE AGAIN!! Thank you again for what you do matt!!! You have been truly inspirational and provided people with actual help that works!!

I love your enthusiasm!!! A lot of people use kratom to come off stronger opioid drugs with great success. Lots of people have told me that tapering kratom for a few weeks after coming off Subs, mixed with strong supplements, exercise, water, and nutrition, really helped them feel less symptoms!! Disclaimer: This is not medical advice, and is only for informational use. Please consult with your healthcare provider about the proper protocol you should use.

Good for you Richard! And thanks for sharing your experience using kratom.

Matt, How long do I use Kratom for the withdrawals? I stopped taking 10mg Percocet last Friday (morning) and I started the Kratom that same evening. I am currently taking 1-2tsp 3x day of Kratom to help with the withdrawals. How long do I need to do this to get over this hump. I can feel during the day when I need to take my next dose of Kratom. But I don’t want to do this for months. I want to live a clean and healthy life. Today is day 5 without perc- my legs hurt a little and the Kratom helps that in addition to the stomach cramping.

It all depends on your situation. Many people find that tapering it over a few weeks works well, and some just use it for a few days or a week. Others still taper it for months. It’s all about personal preference and individual needs. Many people have taken Calm Support while using kratom to get off opioids, and there are some great testimonials within these comments.

I am using just that right now: Kratom, after trying percs (acetaminophen) , tramadol (heard prolongs withdrawal), and imodium (stomach issues). Out of everything I tried over the past 2 weeks, there’s nothing better: it’s both healthy and effective, combined with vitamin C overdosing, L-tyrosine and B-complex.

I wish I had Kratom at the beginning of my fast and torturous taper: I wouldn’t have suffered as much while experimenting with other stuff.

I’ve run into the same situation. You can try their Red Horn Kratom, as suggested by Matt. Based on my experience, it has similar effects. Just go slow with it, because it can be a bit more stimulating and, if your like me, you don’t want to end up in an ‘anxiety’ zone. Also, you can try other vendors if you want to stick with the Red Bali. There are a number of ‘approved’ vendors on various Kratom sites. However, I’m not sure about the approval process and have not personally used other vendors. Do some research online so you can make a knowledgeable selection. Also, perhaps Matt can recommend a secondary vendor as well. I wish you all the best!

I am effectively using Kratom to come off Percocet, which I have been taking for chronic pain. It has truly made it so much easier, and is allowing me to function during withdrawal with minimal symptoms and effective pain relief. I need to make a liquid dose, in advance, to consume midday, when I’m away from home. I was wondering if the Kratom in solution for say 4 -6 hours will affect its potency, i.e. interfere with the bioavailiabilty of the alkaloids. Your thoughts on this matter is much appreciated.

I have quick question regarding the powder… Is there any visible to see if you’re actually receiving the correct strain of kratom. I’ve order Bali, Borneo, Muang Da (sp?) and white Thai from the company Kratom USA, but they all look similar in terms of powder color. They also all work, but all feel like similar effects. I have several herniated discs and the relief is awesome, but I’m just so nervous about these vendors… Could my kratom be laced? Am I really just receiving the same strain in different packages? Will I build tolerance more easily if I am consuming the same strain? There is also a lot of cross-information out there about tolerance. Where can I find a good guide for reputable sources?

They look different to me when I buy them, but it is a subtle difference in appearance. As for your question, I do believe it is possible to order something and get another thing. Kratom used daily, regardless of the strain, you’ll build a tolerance too. I don’t like switching strains because I found the kinds I like and many I don’t like. Every person is different though. I’ve never heard of the brand you are talking about, so I don’t have experience with their products.

Hello all. Matt thank you very much for posting this info. I have a few questions I’d like to ask and I’d greatly appreciate any help or advice anyone may have to offer. I’m about to go into a detox . I’ve been using/abusing opana 40mg,oxycodone 30mg i.r.oxycodone 40mg and methadone 10mg. I admit I’ve abused the hell of these drugs for years. My use went something like this…… A script for 60 oxy 30s would last about 3 days rarely did I get to day 4 with them. My script for 30 opanas would last no more than 4 days ……fill on Mon,out by late Thurs. My script for 30 oxy 40s would last less than a week. When I used the methadone 10mg I had to take at least 12 to feel much of anything but I haven’t touched the methadone for almost 2 weeks now. As long as I have other opiates I don’t need or want the methadone.

I started a taper a week ago. By taper I mean using these pills as prescribed and for me that’s quite a reduction. The hell of it is I went through this same exact detox from the same opiates 7 years ago. I did it cold turkey and it was absolutely miserable !! I was extremely sick for a month and would never recommend that method to anyone !! After the sickness and being sober for 5 months I felt great and had no desire to touch opiates again.

I honestly believe I would have made it until the worst tragedy happened to us. On the morning of Sept 18th at 5am 2009 I found my son had passed away sometime during the night. He was 25 years old and had overdosed on a combination of Xanax and multiple opiates The pain and grief was unbearable and overwhelming to say the least but the absolute worst was having to tell my wife later that day. Nothing in my life had ever been so painful and on that day I returned to my old habit to help me cope with the loss of my son. Yes it was foolish but until you experience such a loss you have no idea of how badly your entire being can hurt.

But now I must reclaim my life and I can’t do it snorting up opiates like a shop vac. I’ll be going into full detox once my supply of pills are gone and I promised myself I will not return to my Dr. or seek to buy anything on the street. I’ve absolutely got to quit this destructive abuse as it has taken every thing from me. I use to design and fabricate gorgeous ornamental iron works for a living. I use to be an accomplished guitar player and composer but those things mean nothing to me and I know in my heart it’s the drugs that have stolen my joy and ambition.

Matt I’ve already ordered the Red Bali Kartom. I know once I get my mind locked into a quitting protocol I can do this.

At one point in my life I weighed 480 pounds and had a size 66 waist and wore a 5x shirt. I knew nothing about nutrition and a healthy lifestyle but I did massive research and learned on my own. Today I weigh 180 pounds and have a size 36 waist heading towards a size 34 and wear a size large shirt. I have the pictures and can prove anything I say so I’m 100% certain anything is possible and we can all overcome anything we need to. I just need pointed in the right direction to get started.

Any help or advice anyone can give me will be very much appreciated !! And I sincerely wish the very best to all here .

Wow!! U have totally inspired me. Thank you for your comment. I am sorry for your loss. You are right tho. We can not imagine the pain at such a loss. I am also quitting opiates. It’s a hard road but we can do it!!!! Thanks again Hin and good luck to you!!

Wow! I stopped last Monday morning with my Dilaudid, and took a spoonful of Kratom in a small cup of water! I was not sure this was enough, (since I did not buy a scale) so I ended up using 1 heaping teaspoon in a small cup of water 4 more times on Monday! I had some leftover Liposomal Vitamin C that I started taking again also just not in mega doses! On Tuesday I only used a heaping teaspoon of Kratom in the morning and at night! By night time I was sick of the Kratom not mixing up in my water, and sticking to the sides of the cup, and had to keep adding more water and more water to get it all out of the cup! So I just put the whole heaping teaspoon of Kratom in my mouth and followed it with a gulp of water, then swishing more water around in my mouth to get it all down, and I had no issues with the taste! I was like wow only two doses of Kratom on Tuesday, Wed, and Thursday, and none on Friday! I had no withdrawal symptoms and only some minor depression on Monday! I did not even go through 4 ounces of the 8 ounces of Kratom that I bought! I also never felt any kind of euphoria or any kind of high with the Kratom, and the Bali Red Vein (which is all I bought) never made me sleepy or anything! Just my story with Kratom, and what worked for me might not work for everyone, so please follow Matts protocol! In my opinion the Kratom is better than mega dosing with Vitamin C! Thanks for all your help Matt! You are a life saver! Now to keep me from picking up my next prescription at the pharmacy, since my doctor writes for 3 months at a time! OMG!

Oh wow Lane! Super cool! You know what? Kratom really is a miracle plant for helping people quit opiates. Used in the right way, it can be a pretty easy process as you’ve just found out. I thank you for sharing your experience with us as your comment will totally help others. And I am very impressed with your progress! You did the vitamin C mega-dosing, quit successfully, had a quick lapse back to using Dilaudid, then immediately started to plan your next detox. You’re so awesome! Congrats!!!!! And I wish you all of the strength and courage in the world to help you abstain from picking up your next 3-month prescription. 🙂

It is all about you Matt! You are the Angel in this story! By the way, it is not a 3 month prescription, the doctor just writes me 3-1 month prescriptions at a time, so I do not have to go so often! And I give them to the pharmacist who holds them for me! So until next Tuesday when they call and say it is ready, I am trying to figure out away to say no! I do not have any cravings, at all! What I think it all boils down to is will power! I do want to quit but am not sure I am strong enough to say no! Not sure what to do next! Suggestions are appreciated!

Oh yes that makes sense. What a cool doctor! But I know how difficult that will be to turn down all of those pills. If you are truly done forever and don’t want to use opiates ever again, you might think about burning your ships. In 1519, Captain Hernan Cortez landed in Veracruz, Mexico, with the intent of beginning a great conquest. He immediately ordered his men to burn all of their ships, which meant that they were either going to win or die trying, because they didn’t have the escape plan anymore.

When you have an escape plan (i.e. prescriptions waiting for you) it makes it more difficult to succeed. This doesn’t mean you can’t do it, however, burning your ships makes it much easier. Brainstorm some ways to burn your ships, and decide if that is even something you want or need to do. 🙂

Matt, I’ve been addicted to either Heroin, pain pills, or methadone since 1968. Currently I’m on a 20 year Methadone run. I’ll try this Kratom. I’ll be shocked if it works and I can’t believe I have t heard of this before now. Any thoughts?

Matt, what a life saver you are! This time I only took 6 doses of Red Bali Vein Kratom ( 1 heaping teaspoon ) and no withdrawals! I have been on Dilaudid 4mg, and abusing it for almost 2 years, and I have read that it only lasts 3-5 hours in the body! My withdrawals before finding your site, lasted 2 weeks, out of every month, as I went through my pills in two weeks each month! Now I have about 1 bad day, mentally depressed, but no withdrawals! This Kratom really is a miracle plant! Thanks Matt, appreciate you so very much!

Hi Matt, I have followed you for a while and I have gone as far as I can, I have been on a constant OxyContin roller coaster for 8 years due to surgeries.. I have wanted to stop because it has gotten out of hand, I have no help and I need help badly! I love your story and frankly that’s all that keeps me in a form of hope… My family thinks it’s all in my head and they don’t want to help me.. I’ve reached out to places and I can travel anywhere but it’s been useless without thousands and thousands of dollars.. Please help me with whatever information u can. Today I tried heroin for the first time because I ran out of medicine 4 days early and now I know I have hit rock bottom. So much more to say but it doesn’t matter at this point! So anyway, any advice would be appreciated! Thanks

You tried heroin for the first time and you think you’ve hit rock bottom? I’ve been a heroic addict 49 years. You can’t imagine the horror yet to come. It’s beyond imagination so ask G-D to help you and get serious. I pray for you.

Awesome! I have 49 years of opiate addiction but the last 26 were with Methadone. I need off this crap! I’m 63 and where I want to move there’s no methadone programs so I hope it works for me like it did for you.

I replied but failed to mark the box where I’m informed of someone responding. I’m on about a 15 year 100mg methadone run. All legal and clean off heroin. Now I’m moving in 2 months where there’s no methadone program so time is limited to kick this crap. I’m 63 so I can’t handle what I could when young eh. I pray this works. I can get 28 day takeout and just drive 12 hours round trip every 28 days but that will suck. Especially come winter. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I am glad I found this site, seems like all the others I come across are all outdated by 5 years or so. Anyhow, this is my story: My addiction started after I was prescribed Lortab’s which I used for about six months and then began to suffer withdrawals once I my doc took me off. Unfortunetly for me, the area I was living had an abundance of “pill mills” and getting hydocodones was particularly easy. Long story short, I became a raging addict for about 6 more months sometimes taking up to 20 Lortab 10’s a day. Obviously I needed help so I got on Suboxone for about 4 years. A couple months ago I decided I was done with this monkey on my back so I tapered down from 8mg’s a day to about 2 mgs a day and jumped off. To aid in recovery I bought Multi-V’s, B-Complex, Phenibut, Kratom, Passion Flower, Tylenol, Melatonin, Bennadryl, Hyland’s RLS pills, Immodium, 5-htp and some other supplement for “nervousness”. I have also always been a gym rat so I continued my 5 day workout regimen. The first 3 days weren’t horrible, then it got real shitty until day 13 at which point it was still horrible, just not quite as bad. Around day 20 I began to find articles about Kratom dependency and realized my 25-30mg daily intake was pushing the envelope real bad. I was extremely nervous that I would end up hooked on Kratom so I did something rather stupid…I began to take < 1mg of Suboxone a day for 5 days in order to detox from the high amounts of Kratom I had been using. I know this sounds ridiculous but keep in mind that I was moving out of state and still had to continue working a rather high profile job. A lot was riding on that particular period of time and after 20 days of looking like a walking zombie, I had to start operating a acceptable levels or I would find myself in dire straights. After the 5 days back on .05 mg's of Sub I began to jump back and forth with Kratom and TINY particles of Sub because I was working with a new group of people and couldn't afford to mess up. I figured cycling these two drugs would prevent dependency on any one in particular. Also, within these last 30 days (since I resorted back to Subs for 5 days) I have also tried my hardest to just stay clean and would usually make it 2-4 days before I started developing WD symptoms so to look at my detox in a quick shot, I started Feb 1st and went 20 days without Suboxone but USING Kratom as an alternative. To prevent Kratom dependency I took less than 1 mg of Suboxone a day for 5 days (Feb 25th) then I didn't take anything for 4 days. On Feb 29th I DESPERATELY needed to perform so I took Kratom for a few days in order to move out of State. Once I arrived at my new destination I began to cycle Sub and Kratom usually using one or the other for two days then switching or not taking anything at all, and if I did take Sub it was only .05 mg's. This "cycling" has gone on for the last 20 days and in those 20 days I have taken nothing at all for about 10 of them. The problem I have is that the WD symptoms NEVER go away. I am with my GF whom I haven't seen for a year (gone for work) and I get annoyed by EVERYTHING. I am irritable, uncomfortable and have no energy or sex drive which makes her very curious as to why I am so fucked up…hence why I keep resorting back to opiates, basically if I don't then I am a miserable wreck who tosses and turns all night and gets angry at everything and doesn't want to ever do anything but lay around. Oddly enough however, I have still been staying true to my workout regimen hoping it will speed up the recovery. As I type this I am on 7 mg's of Bali and that's probably the only reason I was able to write all of this, otherwise I would just be depressed and not want to say a thing. I don't know what to do anymore, my relationship with my GF is failing miserably, I am depressed to the point of feeling like there isn't a point anymore, I am paranoid and nervous all the time and the lack of sleep and overall anxiousness (RLS) is driving me literally insane.

Another thing (I went from 16 MG of subutex to zero) I use kratom even though I am over 40 days without a suboxone I too had a lot going on I needed energy for. I’m agonist out of the kratom but have been taking less and less over the last few weeks. Sometimes it’s just worth it to be sick for a while to get through it, I’m getting ready to do the same thing because I refuse to order any more kratom. Good job and keep your head up

I am 3 days into using kratom, and i am having trouble sleeping. Well this morning i just could not take it anymore, had not slept at all, i ended up doing half of a 7.5, then slept like a baby. Before doing this, my addiction was stable at around 35mg for several years, but at one point it was as high as 90mg a day. How bad is a relapse of 1/10th my daily dose going to set me back? The problem is, once you hit the 3 day mark for no sleep, your not thinking clearly, and if it happens again, i am sure i will cave again. Even if, i try to take as little as possible.

If every couple of days, i am taking 3.25mg will i ever be able to kick it? Ive been using maeng da for daytime, and bali for nighttime. Last night i must have done 2 tsp of bali before i resorted to opiates.

Since everyone is different in their bodies and life circumstances, this method might be what some people want to do, and others might not want to go this route, and different people could get different results. If it was me, I would just want stop putting opioid agonists in my receptors to give the receptors a chance to be totally cleaned out, that way my brain could start producing the natural endorphins faster. Continuing to use it is just delaying the 100% progress, however, I understand that people have busy lives and need energy to get things done, so I totally understand why someone would use here and there.

I am on 80mg of methadone. I was on 110mg. I am tapering 10mg every two weeks and thats faster than the doctor reccomends, I can feel the withdrawal I also have a whole bunch of medical problems. It will be 4 or 5 monthes to go as fast as possible. Is that too long for the kratom taper? I mean I would come off faster if I was sure that I could handle it on the kratom but I don’t know how long the withdrawal lasts on methadone, it has an extremely long half life, I’ve been told monthes. Fentanyl was so bad I couldn’t even talk or open my mouth. I was basically dead. I just want to be off methadone.

I was on 50mg of methadone and tapered 5mg a week, and didn’t start feeling squirrely til I got down to 5mg/day…one day after my last dose I went and got a bottle of kratom from a local head shop….WOW! This stuff is a miracle botanical!!! It totally alleviates all of my w/d symptoms! Can’t recommend it enough!

Many people have told me they tapered kratom over the course of a few months with great success. The woman I referred to in the article was so sick of methadone due to her serious weight gain that she got off cold-turkey on a high dose and used kratom for 3 weeks. She told me it helped a lot.

you dont need to wait, you can start whenever. i believe that was mentioned in the story above. i dont think there are any adverse effects or reactions to starting kratom asap except for the beginning of your new life

I am on my 4th day of no hydrocodone!! I took up to 8 10/325 daily. I started taking kramton on day one. 3 caplets three times a day ..I woke up feeling ok this morning and I only took 2 at 6am.. I was wondering if I stop taking the kramton right now will I start feeling bad? I have a very addictive personality and I do not want to take any chances becoming dependent on it.

Let me just say that Kratom saved my life!!!! I was addicted to Tramadol for many years…HATE THAT STUFF!!!! will NEVER take it again..would rather suffer in pain than take that stuff ever again. Kratom eased and took away the withdrawl symptoms and RLS among other things that accompany withdrawl.

I’ve been on prescribed Fioricet (Butalbital, Acetaminophen, and Caffeine) with codeine for about 15 years. I wish I’d never been given these for headaches I began having after being hospitalized for viral meningitis. I lost a month’s worth of my meds in a flood and even with tapering down I’ve run out a week and a half before my next doctor’s visit. She had already begun tapering me down from 6 pills a day to 4. At 4 I didn’t feel great but was surviving. I imagine she’ll taper it down again this visit. I really think it’s worse coming off the Butalbital than the codeine. Anyway, I’ve used both phenibut and kratom for withdrawal symptoms and it definitely helps me get through it and still be able to work. Right now I’m on day 3 of no Fioricet with codeine and other than being a little sleepy if I took a strong strain of kratom I’m relatively comfortable. There is still that bone ache but the anxiety is pretty much null. Better even than when only have 1 or 2 fioricet a day. I’m ready to be off Fioricet completely and I think I can do it with kratom & phenibut. I try to alternate them as I don’t want to trade one bad habit for another and hope to drop them too soon!

Fioricet? There is nothing in there to be addicted to but caffeine, please… I don’t think its even a controlled substance. Drink coffee you will be fine you don’t need kratom, it will give you 30x the buzz of a fioricet- could be the start of a real addiction.

I’m gearing up for a cold turkey withdrawal from a bundle a day habit… stocked up with 220 grams of red Bali and Maeng da kratom, day and night elimadrol, passion flower and kava. Have to show up for work during this final detox. Unsure if pre mixing the kratom with store bought grapefruit juice will be ok or if will weaken the effects. Also not sure of how much juice to use. Is it like the elimadrol 10-12 fl Oz or much less. If anyone knows what is best please let everyone know.

Hello Matt, first of all I’m blown away by your very apparent genuine concern and interest displayed in all the feedback you give to others! I just bought the maeng da capsules today, there’s 15 caps for a net weight of 7.5g however, there is no mention on the package of dosage….. I have found several sites that talk about doses in powder form but not in capsules. Any suggestions???

Well thanks so much. I try to answer as many comments as possible. I used to respond to everyone, but now between this article and all the rest on this website, there are so many questions/comments on a daily basis that I am unable to respond to 100% of them, though I get close!

Anyways, I’ve used those as well, and they are 0.5 grams each. So every time you take 2 capsules, that is 1 gram. Capsules are the same as powder, unless it says “extract,” in which case the extract is stronger. However, I am familiar with the 15 capsules of maeng da that are 7.5 grams kratom, and typically these are just the powders which is same dosing as if it were not in capsule.

Most first time kratom users start off with 3 grams on an empty stomach to assess tolerance. Then they wait 90 minutes, and if it’s not enough, they take more…typically up to a max of 9-10 grams, though some with large tolerances go even higher. Thus, a person with 15 capsules would start with about 6.

Listen Kratom is awesome for getting off opiates but make no mistake, Kratom is addictive!!! DO NOT TAKE FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE WEEKS STRAIGHT!!! I took it for about 18 months and the withdrawal was on par with past heroin withdrawals. And time slows way way down so every minute feels like 20 minutes and the whole process lasts about three weeks!!!

I agree completely I used kratom for my liquid morphine addiction and took green vein kratom for 3 weeks 2 capsules every 4 to 6 hours. quitting it cold turkey like I did resulted in almost the same withdrawal symptoms as morphine. be careful with it. taper slowly I had to get lorazepam for the anxiety which was as bad as it can get.

Unfortunately I’m on a 18 year methadone run. All legit but there’s no way anyone is getting off the Nazi drug in two weeks. I believe it’s better to take Kratom for 4-5 months, then get off Kratom. The last time I kicked Methadone it took 5 months of HELL! I go back to it because it keeps me off Heroin. Lesser of two evils.

I ordered the calming pill and now I see this day and night powder. I am confused on this whole process now. Can you please break down your plan step by step in its entirety? To assist you, I will inform you that the doctor has had me on norcos for two years. I take 4-6 pills a day depending on pain, but I no longer want to be on medication. Thanks!

Hi I live in Indiana and Kratom is illegal here! I went to a shop in Michigan and was only able to obtain 2 five count packets with only .4 grams per capsule. My question is where can I buy it? And if I was able to obtain it online, are there any you could recommend?

This is a little long so I’ve both emailed it to you as well as posted on the thread in case your reply might be beneficial to others.

I came across your page a few days ago and decided to try and regain my life back from suboxone. I’ve heard first hand accounts from friends and have read a lot about the positive effects of kratom for opiate withdrawal. I’ve been following the steps in your article. I’m taking about 1/3 of and oz 3 to 4x per day (about 9 grams), via the grapefruit juice method. I’m also taking many (but not all) of the vitamins found in elimradol. I’ve been exercising along with this regimen and this is day 3 of no suboxone. I’m planning on following through with the steps listed in the article and reducing my intake on days 5-7 as suggested. So far a feel great! I would venture to say that I haven’t felt any symptoms that are intolerable and was able to get 7-8 hours of sleep last night and the night before. SO, Based on your experience/observation of individuals who have used this method, I guess my question to you would be Is the kratom simply masking or prolonging inevitable acute withdrawals? I’m not super worried about PAWs only the, severe physical pain of WD that keeps people returning to opiods. Or would you say that the most severe symptoms in the first 7 days of acute withdrawal can be alleviated with the use of kratom, entering PAWS after discontinuation of kratom. I rapidly tapered my suboxone dosage from 2mg-1mg over 2 weeks in .25mg reductions. Since suboxone withdrawals are generally longer would you suggest to stay on kratom for more than 7 days, or would doing so likely risk a kratom addiction, along with withdrawals when coming off kratom? I realize that everyone is different depending on their neurological/body chemistry, level and length of opiod use, etc. Just wondering if you could answer these questions in terms of generality based on suboxone/opoid users that you have seen use the kratom method.

P.S. This website is hope inspiring and seems to be helping alot of people who feel trapped by the physical boundaries of opiod dependence. A positive attitude has alot to do with how severe withdrawal can be, and I attribute some of my comfort and drive this time around to reading websites like yours, following your steps and knowing that there are people out there who this method has worked for. After treating a 1 year opiod addiction with by spending 3 years in a suboxone program, I am ready to take my life back. I realize that you are not a physician, but I put more stock in your stories of observed success than any I’ve heard from a doctor (especially the quacks at the suboxone clinics). I find that most therapists are more upfront and honest with patients because they’re only agenda is the patient’s well being rather than pushing a drug or covering their ass on paper. These days with any drug, it almost seems as the the power of the prescription pad makes doctor’s see dollar signs instead of patients. So, in conclusion let me say thank you for creating this page and giving people hope and for possible options that a doctor never would.

Many people coming off Suboxone, Subutex, or methadone take kratom for longer due to the long half-life. I’ve read comments and emails of people tapering their kratom for three weeks to even a few months. They say that tapering longer with supplements, nutrition, and exercise as well as other things like hot baths really helped them.

Hopefully by this time you are free from opiates. My intent here isn’t to ‘rain on your parade’, so to speak, but from personal experience, I wouldn’t underestimate PAWS. I just want to make the point for you and other readers that, depending on your usage, PAWS can linger for months and even years sending even the most adamant sobriety seeker into relapse. Just be aware of PAWS symptoms and how they can seemingly come out of nowhere even on a good day, and know that they are just temporary and part of the brain repairing itself. Personally, I felt the acute withdrawals to be much more tolerable, albeit painful, than the persistent PAWS mostly because I knew that in a week(short half-life opiates) they’d be gone whereas with PAWS, they could strike without warning at any given moment. ( Longer half life opiates such as Methadone and Suboxone have longer acute withdrawal periods….another reason to avoid them all together, if possible, in your quest for sobriety.) I too, did a Suboxone taper due to a large dose dependence, and found it necessary. As suggested on this site, and as you probably know as well, they are no picnic to come off of. I still cringe at the thought of the doctor telling me they were ‘easier and less painful to get off!’… Sometimes I wonder if these doctors got M.D.s from a matchbook cover ! Wishing you all the best in your recovery…

I haven’t tried the kratom yet, I’m trying to work up the nerve (terrible spice reaction!) So I’m petrified. I’ve been off suboxone 8mg for almost two months now, was on it for 5 1/2 years. During which time I also used opiates. If I were to use, it would be 6-7 dilaudid 4s at once (snort, not IV) but anyway, my point is I still feel like shit, wanna sleep all the time, depressed, just no energy what so ever. Could this shit help?

Yes it can help. Spice and kratom are absolutely nothing alike. Spice is a synthetic thc analogue. Kratom is a natural plant that engages opiod receptors. They couldn’t be any more different. Literally no comparison at all.

Hi Stacey, I have been on opiates for over 10 years. I would take suboxone and go right back to handfuls of norco and sometimes OxyContin. I finally tried kratom and I wasn’t excited either.It changed my life.I did the taper method and now I just take Kratom.You can do it!!

I’m first time trying Kratom but it give me energy and I can not sleep I though it was suppose to help you relax I’m coming off opiates and just wondering if someone could help and walk me through this

okay, now i’ve read 7 different ways Matt, wth?? pick one that IS the best IYO. please! I just got the liposphere c whatever high doses of vitamin C now im not sure if I shouldnt do this one instead??? HELP I want off!! havent taken suboxone for 10 days am on 1 , 100mg ultram a night, after holidays thats done i need to know!!

I have been on tramadol for four years the first time getting off last December was holy hell….. then I had reconstructive surger this tl treat on my foot and also have fibormyalgia and theorists arthritis I had a accept and it was time to Valk in a new abrupt and the doctor is refusing to prescribe more will kratom help work my withdraws from this terrible dog that the doctor swear it’s not addicting

I just wanted to first say thank you for all u do. I have visited many of your sites and learned alot. I am down to 7 milligrams of methadone a day from 70. I have felt the pain through the whole withdrawls process but it’s been manageable, which was my goal so I can get to work. If I had time to lounge and not work I think I would have quit methadone a couple months ago. What’s your thoughts of stopping methadone a 7 milligrams and starting kratom? Again thanks for all the help.

Matt, I am sincerely overwhelmed and honestly petrified. I have been on suboxone for over 10 years. 8 years ago I came off and it was horrendous and within 4 months I relapsed and was then was back on suboxone again. I don’t know who I am anymore. I feel so numb and depressed all of the time and long to be off of this drug but fear is holding me back. I’m on 4 mgs. and plan to taper but last time I tapered until .25 and still went through PAWS severely. I hate posting this because I do not want to scare anyone away from detoxing off suboxone. For me the physical symptoms are the least of my worries. Last time I suffered severe depression, suicidal thoughts and intoxicating anxiety. My doctor would only prescribe me nortryptaline which did nothing to relieve my symptoms. I am having depression now what will it be like if I stop. Yet, I can not go on feeling this way either, I have a large family to take care of and can’t get away at all. I need help formulating a program that will keep me semi-funtionable. I am serious about my need and desire to get off of this medicine, its been my worst nightmare.

Your story reads exactly like mine.. Im concerned and worried, anxious about another remedy but MUST get off opiates. I went through a taper withstand suboxone down to .25 mg every other day then stepped off and felt horrible.. doctors that detoxed and helped me along the way were then convinced after my last dose I was trying to be obtuse and was trying to stay addicted! They had no other options for me other than shoving me towards counselling and told me to deal with it.. some hmo huh?! Lame! I’m back on opiates but have 3 little boys, a wife who works and goes to school and I own a restaurant! I’m in deep.. and need out for good. At any rate, have you gone down the path of kratom yet and if so, what is your experience, method, and how are you feeling? Maybe we can communicate and help one another on this journey.. help from a supporting cast or individual is a necessary and provocative step to healing.. Im Dan B. and you can feel free to contact me by email. Once you get this we can exchange info. I hope all is well and I am praying for your recovery and good health.

0.25 suboxone is too high to drop off. Taper down to as low as you can go–0.06–about 1/4 as much as the 0.25–is a much better dropping off place. Also, when you get to your final taper amount, continue to take it every other day for 8 days, then take every 3 days for 12 days, and then stop. It will be much easier. Suboxone is wonderful for helping us get off of some of the nasties, but it brings it’s own long-term withdrawal. By tapering as much as you possibly can (yes, use twizers and a mirror to place under your tongue, and cut using straight manicure/mustache scissors), it’s much easier to get off and stay off.

0.25 is quite low… I can’t stress enough how important it is to start skipping days once you get below 1mg subs. I tired relentlessly to rid myself of subs with tapering and cutting strips, etc. Finally I tried the day skipping and it did the trick. Its very important because of subs long half-life. Just my personal experience from someone who has been there. I’d never go back on Subs unless it was for permanent opioid maintenance. They are simply the worst to discontinue and I think its a travesty that that is go-to treatment in this day and age by the medical community.